Question: Why is this last day of Passover so special?
By biblical definition, Passover is a one-day feast that is followed by the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread. Both Feasts were, later, combined into a single group called ‘Passover”. God’s feasts were designed from Sunset to Sunset -night to night, not day to day.

Why is this important?
It was on the night of Passover that Yeshua celebrated the Passover Seder and 3:00 on the day that He died.

Jewish tradition observes the 7th day of Unleavened Bread as the anniversary of the crossing of the Reed Sea. The Torah reading for that day contains the story of the crossing of the sea and the song at the sea.

Although the entire Festival of Passover/Unleavened Bread is known as "The Time of our Freedom," the Israelites did not realize absolute freedom until the last day.

Pharaoh still held his psychological grip on the minds of the Israelites. Even though it had been seven days since they left Egypt, they were still terrified when they realized that they were trapped between his army and the sea.

On the 7th night of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites passed through the parted Reed Sea. Towards morning, the Sea rolled over on the Egyptian army.

This holiday marks the final conclusion of the Egyptian bondage. As long as their Egyptian taskmasters were alive, the Jews could not rid themselves of the fear that perhaps one day the Egyptian army would overpower them and force them back into slavery.

Only after the Egyptians were totally annihilated were the Jews truly a free nation – in spirit as well as in the body. While at the Sea, the Jews witnessed an awesome Divine revelation.

When seen from the perspective of the crossing of the Reed Sea, the last day of Unleavened Bread becomes the spiritual goal of the entire festival. For believers, the crossing of the Reed Sea is paralleled by the joy of the resurrection and the great hope of the second coming of our Master, Yeshua

Consider this: “The Beginning is wedged in the End.”
The Orthodox Jew celebrate the Messianic Redemption on this seventh day of Passover because the Exodus from Egypt “opened the floodgates” of Redemption, enabling them to expect the final and eternal Redemption.

The Haftorah on this last day is Isaiah 10:32-12:6, which speaks of the Messiah and the Messianic age.
Isaiah prophesied in chapter 11:10, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the Gentiles seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious.”

In Romans 15:10-12, Paul is quoting this verse when he writes, “And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; And let all the peoples praise him. And again, Isaiah saith, There shall be the root of Jesse, And he that arises to rule over the Gentiles; On him shall the Gentiles hope.”

What is the connection between the last day of Unleavened Bread and the coming of Messiah?
The last day of Unleavened Bread is the conclusion of that which began on the first night of Passover.

The first night of Passover is our festival commemorating our redemption from Egypt by YHVH (the name of God at the burning bush). It was the first redemption, carried out through Moses, who was the first redeemer; it was the beginning.

The last day of Unleavened Bread is our festival commemorating the final redemption when YHVH will redeem us from the last exile through our righteous Messiah, who is the final redeemer.

The first day of Passover is Moses' festival; the last day of Unleavened Bread is the Messiah's festival.

One is incomplete without the other: the first redemption is connected to the last. The Jewish sages say, "In Nisan, they were redeemed, and in Nisan, they will be redeemed in the time to come."
In fact, the prophet Jeremiah, in 2 places, tells us that the second exodus will be so great that it will overshadow the first.

Jeremiah 16:14-15 reads, “Therefore, behold, the days come, says the LORD, that it shall no more be said: 'As the LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but: 'As the LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries where He had driven them'; and I will bring them back into their land that I gave unto their fathers.”

Jeremiah 23:7-8 reads, “Therefore, behold, the days come, says the LORD, that they shall no more say: 'As the LORD lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt'; but: 'As the LORD lives, that brought up and that led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them'; and they shall dwell in their own land.”

As I said, Isaiah 10:32-12:6 is loaded with prophecies that reveal the Messiah and the Messianic Age.

For Example: it contains the famous prophecies like "there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit" (found in Isaiah 11:1), as well as the Messianic foreshadowing, "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb" (in Isaiah 11:6) and "He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (found in Isaiah 11:12).

These prophecies fuel the Messianic expectation of the final day of Unleavened Bread.

The concept of a coming Messianic Banquet is as old as Judaism itself.
In Isaiah 25:6, the prophet Isaiah states: “On this mountain, the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.”

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be present at the table along with all the righteous resurrected.
At the banquet, God will crown the Messiah, Yeshua as King. Only He is without blemish and therefore deserving of such an honored position at the table.

Yeshua also spoke of this great feast that is to take place in the Messianic Era.

He alludes to this when he talks about those who will "recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (according to Matthew 8:11).
The Messianic Banquet is called the "marriage supper of the Lamb" (in Revelation 21:9).

It is to this banquet that Yeshua refers when He told his disciples that He would not eat of the Passover again or drink from the fruit of the vine again "until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (as recorded in Luke 22:16).

The Meal of the Messiah is supposed to be a rehearsal and a foretaste of the great Messianic banquet of the future.

As believers, we can keep the custom of celebrating the last day of Unleavened Bread with a Meal of Messiah and express in the physical form our longing for the great banquet when the final marriage of Messiah and his bride will take place.

How important is this day?
Consider This: In Deuteronomy 16:8 we read, "On the seventh day there shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD your God. You shall do no work on it."

The other festivals in the Torah are called "a solemn assembly to you." Only the last day of Passover / Unleavened Bread is referred to as "a solemn assembly to the LORD."

As the first day of the festival, the last day is also a high Sabbath.
Exodus 12:16 reads, “And on the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation [#4744], and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them…”

Leviticus 23:8 reads, “And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation [#4744]; ye shall do no manner of servile work.

Numbers 28:25 reads, “And on the seventh day ye shall have a holy convocation [#4755]; ye shall do no manner of servile work.

Again, consider this: One of the meanings of the word, “sacred assembly” or “holy convocation” is “a rehearsal.”
A “rehearsal” is preparing for some future event.
This forces the question: What Event?

I believe it is the future renewal of the earth by fire. Allow me to explain: Seven days after Passover, the last day of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites and Moses sang the song of Moses at the Reed Sea.

Exodus 15:1 reads, “Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

The word “Sang” in this verse is not past tense. It literally means "will sing". So, it appears that not only was this a historical event, it was also a prophetical event that will occur after the earth is renewed by fire.

Revelation 15:3 reads, “And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!”

Shalom