The Mystery
of Ben Ha Arbayim --
When Was the
Passover Killed?
What
is the meaning of the Hebrew expression "between
the two evenings" -- or ben ha arbayim? Great controversy
has arisen over this expression. Does it mean after the sun
has set? Or could it
mean the hours before sunset? How
did the Jews use the expression? What does the Bible say
about it? Since the
Passover was to be killed "between the
two evenings," this expression takes on major
importance.
It
is very important that we know and understand the truth!
William F. Dankenbring
In
Exodus 12:6, God commands
However,
another Bible I have has a marginal rendering of this expression, saying,
"Hebrew, between the two evenings." The question is,
does this period of time refer to the afternoon of Nisan 14, especially from
Some
who observe "Passover" at the beginning hours of Nisan 14, shortly
after sunset, claim this expression means twilight, between sunset and
dark. Is this really true?
In
his book entitled The Christian Passover, Fred
R. Coulter, former minister of the Worldwide Church of God, asserts that this
expression is "the vital key to understanding." He claims that the Scriptural meaning of ben
ha arbayim is the period of time after sunset,
normally referred to as dusk or twilight -- definitely NOT "late
afternoon"! Coulter simply rejects
out of hand Jewish explanations and exegesis on this expression, as well as the
studies of most scholars. Coulter claims
that the traditional Jewish explanation of this term, such as that of Rabbi
Rashi, a renown scholar of the Torah, simply contradicts Exodus 12:8, which, he
says, shows that the entire Passover was to be kept on the 14th of Nisan, and
the Passover lambs were to be eaten on the night of the 14th, not the 15th!
These
are very strong words. Coulter claims
that Exodus 16 is the KEY PROOF that he is right, and all the rabbis and
scholars are wrong. He accuses various
scholars, including Robert Kuhn and Lester L. Grabbe, formerly with the
Worldwide Church of God, of "either ignoring or overlooking the plain
commands of God which were given in the original Passover and which have been
preserved in His Word" (p.28, The Christian Passover ).
What
is this "proof" which he refers to?
The
Mystery of the Word "Evening"
Asserts Fred Coulter,
the Hebrew term generally translated "evening," or "even"
-- ba erev -- means "sunset." Therefore, according to him, all the
common Bible translations are in error, as well as Strong's
Concordance and every Hebrew lexicon in existence! Coulter does not bother to "prove"
that ba erev should be translated
"sunset." He simply asserts it
is so, saying so dogmatically, without providing any evidence whatsoever. Coulter declares that "the meaning of ba
erev is without
controversy," and further says it means "sunset."
But
is this really true?
The
apostle Paul says that we are to "prove ALL things" (I
Thess.5:21). Otherwise, slick, oily, and
imperious deceivers will twist Scripture and have us believing white is black
and sweet is sour, truth is error and error is pure truth! Isaiah the prophet warns,
"Woe unto them that call evil good,
and good evil; that put darkness
for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet
for
bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in
their own eyes, and prudent
in
their own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20-21).
The
Jews and rabbis most emphatically do NOT agree with Coulter's claim that ba
erev should be translated "sunset."
This is a blatant untruth.
Therefore, his assertion that his statement that ba erev means
"sunset" is "without controversy" is simply amazing, to put
it mildly. According to the Jewish
rabbis and all scholars, the term ba erev simply means
"evening," in a general sense.
Notice! Here is the proof to back
up my statement:
Says
the Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, of the term erev,
"(1) evening (m. and fem., I Sam.29:5) . . . at
evening . . . Dual,
arbayim,
the two evenings; only in the phrase, ben ha arbayim,
between the two evenings, Exodus 16:12; 30:8, used as marking
the
space of time during which the paschal lamb was slain, Ex.12:6;
Lev.23:5;
Num.9:3; and the evening sacrifice was offered, Ex.29:39,
41;
Num.28:4 . . ." (p.652).
Gesenius
shows that the word erev simply means "evening," and makes no
mention at all of its meaning "sunset." However, he points out that the expression ben
ha arbayim, "between the two evenings," is controversial.
". . . according to the opinion of the
Karaites and Samaritans . . .
the
time between sunset and deep twilight.
The Pharisees, however
(see
Josephus Bellum Jud. vi. 9, par30), and
the Rabbinists considered
the
time when the sun began to descend to be called the FIRST EVEN-
ING
(Arabic 'little evening'; when it begins to draw towards evening);
and
the SECOND EVENING to be the REAL SUNSET" (p.652,
emphasis
mine).
Coulter,
having asserted that ba erev
means "sunset," then proceeds to the next step in his explanation:
He states that there is a "legitimate, Biblically sound,
chronologically defined, Scripturally documented way to prove, beyond any
shadow of doubt whatsoever, that ben ha arbayim originally meant the time period from
sunset to dark" (p.37). He says
this "proof" is in Exodus 16.
Let's take a look.
The Mystery of the Quail
Coulter
quotes Exodus 16:6, "And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of
Israel, AT EVEN, then shall ye know that the LORD hath brought you out from the
land of Egypt." Coulter inserts in
parentheses, after the words "AT EVEN," the
following interpolation: "ba erev, or sunset-ending that Sabbath on which
this message was given" (page 41, The Christian Passover). Notice!
He defines ba erev as "sunset."
Coulter
is building a "case." Once he
gets the reader to accept this "re-definition" of the expression ba
erev, he has the reader at his
mercy. For he then refers to verse 8 of
Exodus 16. Notice, once again: "And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children
of Israel: speak unto them, saying, AT
EVEN [Heb. ben ha arbayim, "between
the two evenings"] ye shall eat flesh . . ." (verses 11-12). "And it came to pass, AT EVEN [ba
erev ] the QUAILS came up, and covered the camp" (verse 13).
Coulter
says God sent the quail at ba erev, which he says is
"sunset." Therefore, since the
quails came at sunset, and were EATEN at ben ha arbayim, "between
the two evenings," Coulter reasons that this "proves" that ben
ha arbayim must refer to the time after
sunset, or dusk!
The problem with this
interpretation is that ba erev does not mean "sunset," as a
point in time, but means "EVENING"!
Therefore, this passage in Exodus 16, which Coulter admits is the
"KEY" to the whole question, turns out to be an argument based solely
on his own personal definition of ba erev.
Therefore, Coulter's case falls flat on its face! He has proved nothing.
Says
The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible:
"It [the daylight portion of the day] was
divided into morning,
noon,
and evening (Psa.55:17; cf. Dan.6:10)" ("Day," p.214).
This
authority adds:
"The festival [Passover] began on the
14th of Abib at EVENING,
that
is, in the beginning of the 15th day, with the sacrificial meal
(Lev.23:5-6). A lamb or kid was slain between the
evenings, that
is,
TOWARD SUNSET (Exo.12:6;
Deut.16:6; cf. between the 9th
and
11th hours . . ." ("Passover," p.705).
In the remainder of
this article, we will prove beyond any reasonable doubt that this authority is
correct -- and that the Jewish tradition is correct. Rather than be misled by Coulter's definition
of "at even," let's see what the Scriptures themselves tell us about
this expression. And, afterward, let's
see how the Scriptures themselves interpret the expression "between the
two evenings."
Letting The Bible Interpret "At
Even"
Can
the term ba erev mean later afternoon?
Coulter says it means "sunset." However, if you look in a Bible Concordance
such as Strong's, you will find this expression is translated
"evening" 49 (7 x7) times in the Old Testament! It is never translated
"sunset." Let us notice some
of the places where it is used, and how it is used.
In
Genesis 24, Abraham sends his faithful servant to find a wife for Isaac back in
his own original country, so he will not marry a Canaanite woman. When the servant travels back to the land of
Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, he stops.
We read:
"And he made his camels to kneel down
without the city by a well
of
water at the time of the EVENING, even the time that the women
go
out to draw water" (Gen.24:11).
What
time would women go out to draw water?
This would refer to late afternoon, not after sunset when it is getting
dark outside. Women would not wait until
it is growing dark, or till dusk or twilight, before getting their water from
the well. Remember, these were communal
wells, and supplied water for the entire community, and would have been used by
many women. They would certainly allow themselves
plenty of time so that they would not be lined up at the well, in the dark,
waiting their turn to draw water.
Let's
look at another example. Turn to the
story of David and Goliath. Notice:
"And there went out a a champion out
of the camp of the Philistines,
named
Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span . . .
And
he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said, Why are
ye
come out to set your battle in array? am
not I a Philistine, and ye
servants
to Saul? choose you a man for you, and
let him come down
to
me. If he be able to fight with me, and
to kill me, then will we be
your
servants: but if I prevail against him,
and kill him, then shall ye
be
our servants, and serve us. . . .
"And
the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented
himself
forty days" (I Samuel 17:4-16).
When
did Goliath approach the Israelite army, to utter his defiant challenge? Do you think he waited until sunset, or
twilight, the period after sunset, to make his boast? Logically, this challenge would have been
uttered before the Israelite army mid-morning and mid-afternoon -- long before
sunset!
Jeremiah
the prophet, however, makes it very plain that the term "evening," or ba erev in the
Hebrew language, can mean afternoon.
Notice his words!
"Prepare ye war against her; arise,
and let us go up at noon. Woe
unto
us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows
of the evening
are
stretched out" (Jeremiah
6:4).
When
are shadows lengthened or stretched out?
At high noon, there is no shadow cast.
As the sun goes toward the western horizon, the shadows are lengthened
out. As the sun nears the horizon, the
shadows become their longest. But
after sunset, there are no shadows cast at all -- for it is the sun which casts
shadows. Therefore, here we find
proof positive that the term ba erev or "evening" refers to
the time of late afternoon, before sunset!
Now
then, with this understanding, notice how this word is used to denote the
beginning and ending of a "day."
The Day of Atonement and Passover Week
In
Leviticus 23:27 we read: "Also on
the tenth day of this seventh month
there shall be a day of atonement . . ." There is no question that the Day of
Atonement is the tenth day of Tishri -- nobody argues otherwise. But now notice how God Himself delimits and
defines this period of time! Notice how
God uses the term "at even" to refer to the END of a day
rather than the beginning hours!
In
Leviticus 23:32 we read, ". . . in the ninth day of the month AT EVEN, from
even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath [the Day of
Atonement]." The expression
"at even" here is obviously used to mean the ENDING portion of the
ninth day. Thus the Day of Atonement starts after the concluding portion of the
ninth of Tishri. It lasts until the
concluding portion of the tenth of Tishri.
The "evening" of the 9th would be the afternoon, up until
sunset; the evening of the 10th would be the afternoon of the 10th, until
sunset. A grade school student could see
that principle. The Day of Atonement
begins at sunset, when the 9th day of Tishri ends, because the Day of Atonement
IS the "tenth day" of the month!
However,
in stating this fact, the Bible says the Day of Atonement, the 10th of Tishri,
begins "in the ninth day of the month, AT EVEN . . ." Clearly the "AT EVEN" here has to
refer to the ending of the ninth day, NOT ITS BEGINNING! If this expression referred to the twilight
portion of the day, beginning the day right after sunset, then the Day of
Atonement would be the 9th day of Tishri!
Another
Biblical example of this truth is found in the instructions God gives on when
to keep the days of Unleavened Bread.
Notice! We read: "In the first month, on the fourteenth
day of the month AT EVEN, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and
twentieth day of the month at even"
(Exodus 12:18). If "at even"
here meant the beginning of Nisan 14, then this verse would be saying the 14th
of Nisan is the first Day of Unleavened Bread, and we should therefore be
observing the Feast from Nisan 14 to Nisan 20 -- not from Nisan 15 to Nisan
21! Obviously, "on the fourteenth .
. . AT EVEN," refers to the END of Nisan 14! And the 21st day "at even" refers
to the ENDING of the 21st day of the month!
Even those who argue that Passover should be observed at the beginning
of Nisan 14 admit that the Feast of Unleavened Bread is from Nisan 15 to
21. They admit that the "even"
mentioned in Exodus 12:18 refers to the END of the day. Logically, then, the same should be true, in
speaking of the Passover (Exodus 12:6)!
Letting
the Bible interpret the Bible, then, "on the fourteenth day AT EVEN"
plainly means at the END of the fourteenth -- as Exodus 12:18 says. The Bible is consistent. God does not contradict Himself. "The Scripture cannot be broken"
(John 10:35). Therefore, the rule of
consistency proves that the term "even" or "evening" as used
in both Exodus 12:18 and Exodus 12:6 means the same thing in both verses --
that is, the word "even," as used in verse 6, which deals with the
slaying of the Passover lambs, also means at the ENDING PART of Nisan 14. However, since the actual expression in
Exodus 12:6 is a variation of the term "evening" in Hebrew -- a term
which would technically be translated as "between the two evenings,"
let us see just how this term relates to the term "evening" in the
Scriptures.
Evidence from Deuteronomy
When,
then, was the Passover to be killed?
Before or after sunset? Let's
understand!
Notice
Deuteronomy 16:4. This verse shows that
the Passover is a part of the days of Unleavened Bread, leading right into
them. We read: "And there shall be no leavened bread
seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the
flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day AT EVEN, remain all night until the
morning." Here the 14th of Nisan is
called "the first day." That
is because it is the late afternoon of the 14th that the Passover was
sacrificed, leading right into the First Day of Unleavened Bread that same
sunset!
This
shows, too, that the "first day" when all leaven was to be put out of
the houses of the Israelites was Nisan 14 (Exodus 12:15; compare Deut.16:4 and
Exodus 12:18-19). From the end of Nisan
14 they ate unleavened bread until the end of the 21st day of Nisan.
Now,
notice verse 6 of this chapter. Here is
the solution to the problem! Here Moses
is told by God, "But in 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 . . ."
Letting the Bible
interpret the Bible, then this expression ba erev or "evening" when the Passover
was killed, and the expression ben ha arbayim, which also denotes the
time the Passover lambs were killed, was the same moment or time period
described as "the going down of the sun." Literally, the
expression "at the going down of the sun" can only mean when the SUN IS
IN THE PROCESS OF DESCENDING IN THE WESTERN SKY! That is, from the time the sun BEGINS to
DESCEND, at high noon, until SUNSET -- when it has completed its descent
to the point where it is below the western horizon and has disappeared from
sight!
Notice! It is the "going down" -- present
progressive tense -- showing the action of the sun moving down in the western
sky. This period of time must be, has to
be, by logical, careful analysis, from the moment after NOON, at the earliest,
lasting until the sun disappears behind the horizon, or the actual moment of
SUNSET! Once the sun has
"set," it is no longer "going down" -- it has, rather,
"GONE DOWN"!
The
expression "at the going down of the sun" means "as the sun goes
down" -- showing it was during the action of the sun moving down in the
sky toward the western horizon. In
English, this is the present progressive tense.
If God had meant to convey the idea that the lambs were to be killed
AFTER the sun went down, that is, after
sunset, then He would have stated it differently. He would have said, "AFTER the sun goes
down," or, "After the sun HAS GONE down." The sun "goes down" until it "sets." After it "sets," it has technically
"gone down." God
commanded that the lambs be slain as the sun sinks in the western sky --
not after it has already plunged beneath the horizon! The Jews have always faithfully done this, as
long as the Passover was sacrificed, throughout their history.
The
Septuagint makes it perfectly clear. We
read:
"Thou shalt not have power to
sacrifice the passover in any of the
cities,
which the Lord thy God gives thee. But
in the place which
the
Lord thy God shall choose, to have his name called there thou
shalt
sacrifice the passover at even AT THE SETTING OF THE
SUN
. . ."
The command is plain that the lambs had to be
slain ON THE FOURTEENTH of Nisan, in the late afternoon, BEFORE the sun had
set! But if the lambs were not slain
till AFTER SUNSET of the 14th, they would have been slain on the
FIFTEENTH! That would have been a
violation of the commandment! Also, if
they were slain at the beginning of the 14th, after sunset of the 13th
of Nisan, that would not have been during the "going down" or
"setting" of the sun.
Could
anything be plainer? Even a small child
can understand this truth! Why is it
that so many cannot grasp these plain and simple Spiritual, Biblical
truths?
"The Going Down of the Sun"
This
same expression is used elsewhere in the Old Testament. "And when the sun was going down
. . ." (Gen.15:12). The Hebrew
Scriptures state: "AS THE SUN WAS
ABOUT TO SET . . ." Clearly, this
expression refers to the time BEFORE
SUNSET, not afterward!
"And
afterward Joshua smote them (the Canaanite kings), and slew them, and hanged
them on five trees: and they were
hanging upon the trees UNTIL THE EVENING.
And it came to pass at the TIME OF THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, that Joshua commanded, and they
took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been
hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain unto this very
day" (Josh.10:26-27).
The
Septuagint also makes this verse clearer.
Notice!
"And Joshua slew them and hanged them
on five trees; and they
hung
upon the trees until the evening. And it
came to pass toward
the
setting of the sun,
Joshua commanded, and
they took them down
from
the trees, and cast them into the cave into which they had fled
for
refuge, and rolled stones to the cave, which remain until this day."
This
event shows that the expression "going down of the sun" refers to the
time right up until sunset or sundown, but not after. The Israelites were commanded, in the law of
God, not to allow the dead bodies of criminals to hang on a tree at night. God told Moses, "If a man is guilty of a
capital offense and is put to death, and you impale him on a stake, you must not let his corpse
remain on the stake overnight, but must BURY HIM THE SAME DAY"
(Deut.21:22-23). Since each day
begins and ends at SUNSET, to
bury such a criminal "THE SAME DAY" means he had to be buried PRIOR
TO SUNSET! Thus, we read again of
Joshua who slew the king of Ai.
"And the king of Ai was impaled on a stake UNTIL EVENING. AT SUNSET, Joshua had the corpse taken down
from the stake . . ." (Joshua 8:29, Tanakh)
This
same expression is used in the Bible of the death of king Ahab. As Ahab was fighting the Syrians, he was
struck by an arrow from a bowman and was sorely wounded. "And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot
against the Syrians, and DIED AT EVEN:
and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went out a proclamation throughout
the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city,
and every man to his own country" (I Kings 22:35-36).
The
Hebrew Tanakh, or "Holy Scriptures," has this verse, "as the
sun was GOING DOWN . . ."
Again,
the reference is to the time just prior to sunset or sundown, as the sun's disk
begins to move toward the horizon and set in the west.
God's Covenant with Abraham and the 400
Years
After God brought
Abraham out of the land of the Chaldees, He made a covenant with him, promising
him that his children would someday be innumerable like the stars of
heaven. Then, that afternoon, God had
Abraham sacrifice a heifer of three years age, a she goat of three years, and a
ram of three years, and a turtledove, and a pigeon. These sacrifices were a type of the
coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His ministry lasted exactly three years, which
is the age of the sacrificed heifer, she goat, and ram. After he completed the sacrifice, Abraham
drove away the birds that attempted to alight on the carcasses of the
sacrifices (Gen.15:1-11). Then we read:
"And when the sun was going down, a
deep sleep fell over Abram;
and,
lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And he said unto
Abram,
Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land
that
is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them
four
hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will
I
judge: and afterward they shall come out
with great substance . . .
In
the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
Unto
thy seed have I given this land . . ." (Gen.15:12-18).
Why
did a "horror" or a "nightmare" come over Abraham, as the
"sun was going down"? This is
the same expression we have just been studying.
This "horror" came over Abraham at the same time the future
Passover lambs would be slain -- at the identical time when Christ our Passover
would be slain for us! No wonder Abraham
felt this sense of horror -- the innocent "lamb of God" would be
slain at the very time -- the Son of God would die upon the tree of
crucifixion!
These
sacrifices pictured Christ, and they were performed in the late afternoon, as
the sun was going down, and descending in the sky. Four hundred years later, on the very same
day, God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt!
"Now the sojourning of the children
of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt,
was
four hundred and thirty years. And it
came to pass at the end
of
four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to
pass,
that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt:
this
is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel
in
their generations. And the LORD said
unto Moses and
Aaron,
This is the ordinance of the Passover . . ." (Exo.12:40-43).
What
Abraham was permitted to preview, some 400 years earlier, to the very
self-same day, was the ordinance and sacrifice of the Passover! Therefore, for the typology to be complete,
just as these sacrifices he performed were done in the afternoon, at the going
down of the sun, before sunset, even so the Passover lambs some 400 years later
would be slain in the afternoon of Nisan 14, and eaten on Nisan 15 -- the very
night of the Passover, when the LORD "passed over" the children of
Israel, and slew the firstborn of the Egyptians -- the very night God freed His
people from slavery and bondage by the act of the "Passover"!
A New Look at "Between the Two
Evenings"
Since
the term ben ha arbayim, "between the two evenings," is so
controversial, let us see how this expression is used in the Scriptures. According to the Word of God, there were four
things which were to be performed at the time period known as "between the
two evenings" -- it was the time
the Passover was to be killed, the time of the evening sacrifice, the time the
lampstand in the Temple was lit, and the time the incense was offered.
Notice,
now, how this expression denotes the time of the "evening sacrifice."
In
the book of Numbers God gives instructions concerning the daily sacrifices which
were to be offered before Him. God
commanded, "And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by
fire unto the LORD; two lambs of the first year without spot DAY BY DAY [Heb.
'IN A DAY'], for a continual burnt offering.
The one lamb shalt thou offer IN THE MORNING, and the other lamb shalt
thou offer AT EVEN [Heb. ben ha
arbayim, or between the two evenings] . . ." (Num.28:3-4).
Notice
carefully! Both these offerings were to
be offered DAILY, "day by day," "IN A DAY" -- that is, WITHIN
THE SAME DAY! The first one is the
morning sacrifice, and the second one is the EVENING sacrifice. In order for the evening sacrifice to be
offered the SAME DAY as the morning sacrifice, it had to be offered BEFORE
SUNSET! Otherwise it would have been
the NEXT day! What could be
clearer? Thus, here we find incontrovertible,
inexorable, yet simple proof that "between the evenings" has to refer
to the period of time BEFORE SUNSET, not after sundown, as the
Samaritans taught!
Notice
it again! In this plain passage of
Scripture, we are told that the DAILY SACRIFICE involves both a morning and an
"evening" sacrifice, and the "evening" sacrifice occurs
"between the two evenings."
Yet this passage says plainly that these two sacrifices were "IN A
DAY." The morning sacrifice, which
was done first, was in the SAME DAY as the "evening" sacrifice, which
was made that same day, "between the two evenings"! Since the day ENDS at sunset, this expression
ben ha arbayim HAS to refer to
late AFTERNOON! If it referred to dusk,
or twilight, after sunset, as some claim, then it would be THE NEXT DAY!
How
clear it all is, when we simply let the Bible interpret the Bible! It's really NOT complex at all. It's simply a matter of following the Bible
and not a man, even if that man happens to some self-anointed
"scholar" or swaggering minister who is "wise in his own
eyes" and a "legend in his own mind." The question is, will we follow the INSPIRED
WORD OF GOD -- or will we follow the opinions of a man?
Lighting of the Lamp, and the Incense
The lighting of the
Lampstand in the Temple, and the incense offering, both also occurred at ben
ha arbayim, or "between the two evenings." Interestingly, at the time of the morning
sacrifice, which was offered at 9 o'clock in the morning, the Temple lamps were
"dressed," and incense was also offered, together with the morning
sacrifice (Exodus 30:7). Then at the
time of the evening sacrifice, we read:
"And when Aaron lighteth [Heb.
"setteth up" or "causeth to
ascend"]
the lamps at even ["between the two evenings"],
he
shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before
the
LORD throughout your generations" (Exo.30:8).
Therefore,
the daily sacrifice, the incense offering, and the lamp lighting and trimming,
was done every day, throughout the generations of Israel, as long as there was
a Sanctuary or a Temple, at the appointed time called "between the two
evenings."
Can
we establish this as being in the mid-afternoon, or about 3:00 o'clock, by
another approach to the subject?
The Appointed "Time of
Prayer"
The
daily sacrifice was a time of "prayer" at the Temple, and the daily
sacrifice and incense were physical types of prayer and sacrifice of ourselves
to the service of God. The apostle Paul
speaks of prayer as "the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is,
the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (Heb.13:15). David declared, "Let my prayer be set
forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).
In
the book of Revelation, we read:
"And another angel came and stood at
the altar, having a golden
censer;
and there was given unto him much incense, that he should
offer
it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which
was
before the throne. And the smoke of the incense,
which came
with
the prayers of the saints, ascended
up before God out of the
angel's
hand" (Rev.8:3-4).
Thus
it is clear that "incense" and the time of prayer are connected in
the Word of God. They are connected with
each other, and with the time of the "evening sacrifice"
(Psalm 141:2). What is this
"time"? Is it after sunset, or
before? Is it after dark, or during the
afternoon? Let us continue.
It
was customary for the people of Israel to be at the Temple, and to pray, at the
time of the offering of the incense, and the evening sacrifice. We read in the book of Ezra, Ezra the priest
declared:
"And at the evening sacrifice I
rose up from my heaviness; and
having
rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees,
and
spread out my hands unto the LORD my God" (Ezra 9:5).
Likewise,
Elijah the great prophet of God, at the time of the evening sacrifice, prayed
to God, and fire came down from heaven and devoured his offering atop Mount
Carmel. The scene was Mount Carmel in
northern Israel. The prophets of Baal
have been crying out to their god to bring fire down from heaven to consume
their sacrifices. But nothing happens. We pick up the story:
"And it came to pass, when midday
was past, and they prophesied
until
the time of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor
any
answer, nor any that regarded. . . . And it came to pass at the time
of
the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet
came
near and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel,
let
it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am
thy
servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear
me,
O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the
LORD
God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the
fire
of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood,
and
the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the
trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their
faces: and
they
said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God"
(I
Kings 18:29, 36-39).
Here
again, prayer to God is connected with the evening sacrifice -- it is the time
of "evening prayer." As David
said in the Psalms, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and
cry aloud: and he shall hear my
voice" (Psalm 55:17). Daniel also
prayed three times a day to God, at the hours of prayer (Daniel 6:10). One of these times was the time of the
evening sacrifice -- as Daniel records:
"Yea, whiles I was speaking in
prayer, even the man Gabriel,
whom
I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused
to
fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening
oblation"
(Dan.9:21).
This
custom continued into New Testament times.
Luke records of Zecharias, the father of John the Baptizer:
"According to the custom of the
priest's office, his lot was to burn
incense
when he went into the temple of the Lord.
And the whole
multitude
of the people were praying without at the time of the
incense"
(Luke 1:9-10).
When Was the
"Time of Prayer"?
Thus
the time of incense, the time of the daily sacrifices, morning and evening, was
the time of prayer. But when was the
"hour of prayer"? Does the
Bible tell us elsewhere when the appointed, traditional, customary "time
of prayer" at the Temple occurred?
Yes, it does! The book of Acts,
in the New Testament, gives us the literal, undeniable answer:
"Now
Peter and John went up together into the temple at the
hour
of prayer, being the NINTH HOUR" (Acts 3:1).
"And
Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour;
and
at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man
stood
before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, thy prayer
is
heard . . ." (Acts 10:30-31; also 10:1-4).
The
ninth hour of the day, Jewish time, would be 3 o'clock in the afternoon, our
time. This was therefore the time of
evening devotions, the evening sacrifice, the evening incense offering, the
time of the lighting of the lamps in the Temple -- and it is the time called
"between the two evenings," or ben ha arbayim!
The morning time of
devotion and prayer, was the time of the morning sacrifice, the morning
incense, and morning lamp trimming in the Temple. It was the time Peter and the disciples went
to the Temple, to worship, on the Day of Pentecost, in 30 A.D. At that time of prayer, the Holy Spirit
descended from heaven and lighted on the disciples, like a flame of fire, and
enabled them to speak in many different languages, miraculously (Acts
3:1-13). Peter said to the assembled
multitude, worshipping at the Temple:
"But Peter, standing up with the
eleven, lifted up his voice, and
said
unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jeru-
salem,
be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For
these
are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third
hour
of the day" (Acts
3:14-15).
What
is the real significance, then, of these times of prayer -- 9 o'clock in the
morning and 3 o'clock in the afternoon?
We read in the gospel of Mark:
"And it was the third hour [9:00
AM], and they crucified him
. .
. . And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, My God, my God, why
hast
thou forsaken me? . . . And Jesus cried with a loud voice,
and
gave up the ghost. And the veil of the
temple was rent in twain
from
the top to the bottom" (Mark 15:25, 34-38).
Jesus
Christ was nailed to the stake, or tree, of crucifixion, at 9 o'clock in the
morning, where He remained all day, suffering, until 3 o'clock in the
afternoon, when He died. Thus He was
nailed to the stake as the "morning sacrifice," and died at the same
time as the "evening sacrifices" were normally killed. He died at the very time of ben ha
arbayim, or "between the two evenings." But there is even more to the story. Jesus Christ died at the very time of the
Passover sacrifices in Jerusalem, which also were offered at ben ha arbayim
-- in the afternoon, before sunset!
During
the Time of Christ -- an Eye-Witness Speaks
During
the time of Christ, the Jews were slaying their Passover lambs at the Temple of
God -- about 250,000 lambs at each Passover celebration during the first
century. We are not told precisely how
so many lambs were killed during the afternoon of Nisan 14, but undoubtedly
hundreds of priests were conscripted into service, so that the logistics of the
problem could be met. Additional areas
on the Temple Mount, including the sacred area of the Mount of Olives, where
the red heifer sacrifice was performed, may also have been drafted into service
to accomplish the task. However it
occurred, Josephus the Jewish historian who lived during the first century, relates:
"So
these high priests, upon the coming of their feast which is called the
Passover,
when they slay their sacrifices, from the ninth hour to the eleventh,
but
so that a company not less than ten belong to every sacrifice . . . and
many
of us are twenty in a company, found this number of sacrifices was
two
hundred and fifty six thousand five hundred:
which, upon the allowance
of
no more than ten that feast together, amounts to two million seven hundred
thousand
and two hundred persons that were pure and holy" (Wars of the Jews,
Book
VI, 9:3).
Josephus,
the Jewish historian of the first century, used Jewish time reckoning, so when
he says the lambs were killed from the "ninth to the eleventh" hour,
he means from about 3 o'clock in the afternoon until about 5 o'clock.
Jesus Christ -- Perfect Passover Lamb, Perfect
Proof!
Jesus Christ was killed
at 3:00 PM in the afternoon of Nisan 14, according to Scripture. At the ninth hour, when the Jews began
killing their Passover lambs, Jesus himself hung on the stake.
Matthew's
gospel states, "Now from the sixth hour [noon] there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour [3:00 PM]. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried
with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Some of them that stood
there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias [Elijah]. And straightway one of them ran, and took a
spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to
drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see
whether Elias will come to save him.
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost" (Matt.27:45-50).
Jesus
Christ, Yeshua, the Saviour and Messiah, God's Anointed One, the "Lamb of God"
(John 1:36), IS God's suffering servant who gave His life for the sins of the
world, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, who wrote:
"Surely
he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem
him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our
transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our
peace
was upon him; and with his stripes we are HEALED.
"All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and
he
was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:
he is brought as a LAMB to
the
slaughter [the Passover lamb!], and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so
he openeth not his mouth. He was taken
from prison and from judgment:
and
who shall declare his generation? for he
was CUT OFF from the land of
the
living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken.
"And
he made his grave with the wicked [the two robbers slain with him], and
with
the rich in his death [he was given Joseph of Arimathea's tomb]; because
he
hath done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased
the
LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make HIS
SOUL
[LIFE] AN OFFERING FOR SIN, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong
his
days [be resurrected!], and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his
hand"
(Isaiah 53:4-10).
As
Paul put it plainly: "For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (I Cor.5:7-8). Jesus Christ fulfilled the symbolism of the
ancient Passover lambs perfectly. He was God's "lamb without
blemish."
The Perfect Proof
Certainly
Christ the Passover Lamb had to be slain at the proper time! Those who claim that the Passover is to be
observed at the BEGINNING of Nisan 14, and admit that the lambs were slain in
the afternoon of Nisan 14, have a very serious problem. According to their chronology, Jesus was
therefore not slain until some twenty or twenty four hours LATER than the time
they claim the Passover is to be observed!
On
the other hand, those who claim that the Passover lambs were slain after sunset
of Nisan 13, during the dusk or twilight of the beginning of Nisan 14, have an
even greater problem. According to their
reckoning, Christ died about 20 hours AFTER the Passover lambs were to be
slain, at the beginning of Nisan 14 -- thus invalidating and compromising His
claim to being our Messiah! By their
reckoning, His death was at the wrong time, and did not therefore
perfectly fulfill the Passover typology!
If that were the case, then
Christ could not truly have been our Saviour, God's Passover Lamb -- He would
be a fake, a fraud, an impostor, a counterfeit!
But
thank God, Christ was the PERFECT fulfillment of the Passover. Therefore, He was slain at the VERY MOMENT
the Passover lambs were being slain at the Temple of God! He was slain at the VERY TIME God commanded
for the Passover to be killed -- "between the two evenings"!
Even
as these sacrificial lambs were being slaughtered at the Temple, in 30
A.D., God's own True Passover Lamb,
Jesus Christ, also known as Yeshua Ha Mashiach ("Yeshua the
Messiah"), was being slain for all of us who accept His shed blood for the
forgiveness of our sins (II Cor.5:20; I Cor.5:7-8). Thus Jesus Christ fulfilled the TYPE of the
Passover lambs PERFECTLY -- RIGHT ON TIME, exactly on schedule!
If
the lambs were sacrificed the previous evening, as come claim, then Jesus
missed the correct time by twenty hours -- and did not fulfill the type of the
Passover perfectly! If that were true,
then He could not be our SAVIOUR! He
would be an impostor! But Jesus
fulfilled EVERY Scripture that prophesied of His coming TO THE MOST INFINITE
DETAIL, in every respect -- PERFECTLY in all points!
Now,
let's look at this question from the reverse angle. We know Christ was our Passover lamb (I
Cor.5:7). Therefore, we know that He
must have died at the right time, when the Passover was to be killed. The fact that the gospels plainly show that
Jesus was killed at precisely 3:00 PM on the afternoon of Nisan 14, then, PROVES
that the original Passover lambs were to be killed at that same time! This is further proof, then, that ben ha
arbayim has to mean the late afternoon!
Here,
then, is the ultimate proof --
the example of Jesus Christ Himself, our Passover lamb! HE was slain at 3:00 PM in the afternoon;
He HAD to fulfill the commandment to be slain "between the two
evenings" (Exodus 12:6). Therefore,
ben ha arbayim, "between the two evenings," MUST refer to a
time which includes 3:00 PM in the afternoon!
What More Proof Do We
Need?
If
the Pharisees were wrong in sacrificing the Passover in the late afternoon,
then Jesus would have been wrong to say they sit in Moses' seat and that we are
to follow their interpretation of the Law (Matt.23:1-3). If they were wrong in the time they
sacrificed and observed the Passover, then Jesus would have been derelict in
His duty as the Son of God and the One "greater than Moses" for never
chiding or faulting them for such a heinous error of the greatest
magnitude.
If
the Pharisees were wrong, then the apostle Paul, who said he was a Pharisee,
and that he kept the law of God "blamelessly" as a Pharisee
(Phi.3:6), would have been a liar.
But both Jesus, and Paul, endorse the teachings of the Jews, and the
Pharisees, as the correct teachings concerning the time of killing the
Passover, and observing the Passover.
They never faulted the Pharisees on this teaching.
To
know and understand the truth of God is a wonderful blessing. To obey God is even better! The times of ignorance God has winked at, but
now commands all who learn the truth to repent of error, and to correct
their mistakes.
It
may not seem to men to be a very important thing as to when they observe
Passover, or how they keep it. But it is
important in the sight of God. God
Himself sets the parameters of true worship -- not men, ministers, priests, or
other human beings. Will we obey God in
this matter? Or will we follow men? Will we serve God? Or follow Baal?
I
know that many have gone through traumatic changes, in recent years, concerning
church doctrines, teachings, and fellowship.
Some don't want to see any more "changes" for a long time --
even if they happen to be wrong! But
isn't the truth of God worth more than all the accolades of men? Isn't fellowship with God the Father and
Jesus Christ, by observing His Passover at the correct time -- which He
appointed "for ever" (Exo.12:14-16), and He does not change (Mal.3:6)
-- worth far more than fellowship with erring, sinning, human groups and
churches which are too traumatized or too intransigent, to face this truth
honestly?
Thank
God for His wonderful, inexpressible, glorious Truth!