Articles » A Response to the article, Three months in a row

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TMR:

“The Lord Yahweh commanded that the Passover lamb was to be eaten: “with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand.” To all appearances it seemed they would be leaving that night, the night of the 14th or at the very least in the morning. Remember, we have previously established that the 14th day is also the preparation day. Could it be that Yahweh simply was having them be prepared to leave in advance, knowing that the Sabbath was drawing on. Because Yahweh would not break His own Sabbath, He had the people be prepared on the night of the 14th so they would not have to do any work on His Holy Sabbath, of which is only the daylight hours on the 15th. In this way they would be prepared in advance. Ex 12:11; Gen 1:3, 6, 13, 19, 23, 31; Gen 2:2, 3” pp.18, 19

Comment:

Here we see how a false assumption paves the way to further false assumptions. The 14^th day was not a Sabbath preparation day. In order to maintain the idea that the 15^th of that month was a Sabbath the travel time of the Israelites is said to have taken place on the night after the Passover and death of the firstborn (i.e. almost 24 hours later!). Let us see what inspiration says on this vital point.

Exodus 12:11-12  And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S Passover.  (12)  For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

The children of Israel were to eat the Passover of the 14^th that very night. Doubtless this instruction was given in anticipation of a speedy departure. Why else would they eat it in haste, with their travel clothes on? This obvious fact is acknowledged by the TMR article.

At midnight the blow was struck. So urgent was Pharaoh’s terror that he summoned Moses and Aaron by night¹ and told them to leave Egypt "in haste"². The question is when did the Israelites leave Egypt? Did they leave in haste or did they linger for another day?

Numbers 33:3  And they departed from Ramses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the Passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians.

Exodus 12:17  And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever⁴.

The day that was appointed to be the day of unleavened bread is the selfsame day that Israel went out of the land of Egypt. This day is the 15^th of the month. It was not a weekly Sabbath day, but a travel day (thus the 14^th was not the sixth day of the week either⁵). The application of the TMR article is not in harmony with inspiration (see the diagram). This application is proposed to maintain the 15^th as a rest day rather than a travel day, but inspiration tells us the exact opposite. Notice how this is clearly confirmed by the Spirit of Prophecy.

“At midnight "there was a great cry in Egypt: for there was not a house where there was not one dead." All the first-born in the land, "from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle" had been smitten by the destroyer. Throughout the vast realm of Egypt the pride of every household had been laid low. The shrieks and wails of the mourners filled the air. King and courtiers, with blanched faces and trembling limbs, stood aghast at the overmastering horror. Pharaoh remembered how he had once exclaimed, "Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go." Now, his heaven-daring pride humbled in the dust, he "called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said. . . . And be gone; and bless me also." The royal counselors also and the people entreated the Israelites to depart "out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men." With their loins girt, with sandaled feet, and staff in hand, the people of Israel had stood, hushed, awed, yet expectant, awaiting the royal mandate that should bid them go forth. Before the morning broke, they were on their way.”⁶ {PP 279-281}

Here we are plainly told that before the morning of the 15^th broke the Israelites were on their way. They left shortly after Pharaoh gave them permission to leave. They were already packed and ready to move. There was no need to hang around for another day⁷!

This shows us plainly that the writings of Mrs. White do not support the conclusions of the TMR article (and therefore the entire lunar Sabbath theory⁸). This is a point that should be carefully noted. In order to support our ideas from the Spirit of Prophecy we must use all the relevant quotes, not just the quotes that agree with what we want to say (while disregarding quotes that contradict our conclusions). Consistency and honesty demand that we either use the writings as a whole or not at all (i.e. we can’t pick and choose⁹). History also provides another witness in harmony with the above inspired accounts. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus gives an account of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and the date:

“2. They left Egypt in the month Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month; four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham came into Canaan, but two hundred and fifteen years only after Jacob removed into Egypt.” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 15)

Some may try to argue that even though travel took place on that day it was still a Sabbath! Such is the firm hold that this idea can take in some people’s minds. Let all be reminded of the fact that Christ who led the Hebrews out of Egypt is the same one who said “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day” (Matthew 24:20). God was particular about His Sabbath and teaching His people to keep it holy. They were not even to gather the manna on the Sabbath day! God would be inconsistent should He lead the Israelites to break the Sabbath so blatantly by conducting a mass exodus on His holy day of rest. They did a good day’s travel on the 15^th! According to the TMR article “Yahweh would not break His own Sabbath commandment by leading them forward on the Sabbath hours.” Therefore we rightly conclude that the 15^th day of the first month was not a seventh-day Sabbath (and consequently, neither were the other proposed Sabbath dates for that month). Here we have four examples of the Sabbath not being on the 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd or 29^th days of the month. This closes the Lunar Sabbath case, hopefully, once and for all. This sad and dangerous idea leads people to abandon the true Sabbath of the fourth commandment (based on the weekly cycle) and adopt a false Sabbath based on the moon.

The explanation of the first month in the TMR article forms the basis for the entire study. We have demonstrated that the foundation is full of assumptions and contradicts inspiration. Keep in mind that this is the underpinning argument on which the entire study hangs. With this pin removed the entire study and conclusion will be found to be fatally flawed and inconsistent with inspiration.

Since “a picture is worth a thousand words” let us examine the illustrations given in light of the inspired evidence. We saw plainly that the 15^th was not a 7^th day Sabbath (thus the 14^th was not a 6^th day of the week), and that the Exodus did not take place the night following the death of the firstborn, and the day of unleavened bread does not start in the morning but at even.

The correct illustration of the first month based on the above evidence will look like this:

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