#155. To: bluewater boats (#25)
Gentile Christians have a different covenant with God
The apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian Gentile Christians to keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.
"Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. "Therefore let us keep the feast [of unleavened bread], not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
Can you show me where Paul instructed the Jewish, Israelite or Gentile brethren to observe some "resurrection SUNday" or "Easter sunrise service" or color eggs and give "Easter bunnies" to their children and to make sure to eat plenty of unclean "Easter ham"?
How Satan makes such a fool of professing Christians every pagan holiday, who are engaged in spiritual adultery and stuck in the muck of Babylon! THINK about it, so help you God.
The early Church of God, converted Jews, Israelites and Gentiles, faithfully observed, in spirit and in truth, the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, as pioneers of the wonderful World Tomorrow, the Kingdom of God, where Christ will keep the PASSOVER - not pagan Easter!
Luke 22:14-16:
"When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'"
Neither the biblical festivals or law of God have been done away, as religious liars spew, but the whitewashed pagan holidays pretending to be Christian, that misrepresent Christ and Christianity, will soon be trashed.
Jeremiah 16
19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“ Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
The Biblical Festivals That Teach Us About Jesus Christ
Showing posts with label passover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label passover. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Biblical Festivals That Teach Us About Jesus Christ
Few people are aware of the seven festivals God reveals in the Bible. Even fewer are aware that they center around and teach us a great deal about Jesus Christ and His role in God's plan for all mankind.
by Mario Seiglie
"The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts" (Leviticus 23:2). Sounds impressive, doesn't it? God Almighty saying in Scripture, "These are My Feasts."
Yet for most of traditional Christianity, these "feasts of the LORD" are thought to have been kept only by the Jews and are deemed meaningless for Christians. New religious holidays have been substituted that supposedly center on Jesus Christ.
How did all this come to be? What is the true meaning of these "feasts of the LORD"? Do they have anything to do with Jesus Christ, or is their symbolism limited only to long-ago events? If we truly want to find the answers in the manner God instructs us, then we should follow the advice He inspired: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
The Bible gives us a good example of how to examine a belief to see if it is correct. When the apostle Paul traveled to Berea, he taught the Bereans certain things that must have been surprising to them. But they didn't close their minds or reject them. Instead, they were willing to give them a fair hearing by carefully examining the Scriptures. What was the result? We read in Acts 17:11-12 that these men and women "were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed ..."
So in examining the feasts of the Bible, will we give them a fair hearing as well? Do the Scriptures reveal whether these feasts teach us important truths about Jesus Christ?
The Passover: A Christ-centered feast?
The Passover is the first of God's annual feast days mentioned in Scripture. It commemorates the greatest event in the people of Israel's history—their miraculous liberation from Egypt. The second book of the Bible, Exodus, is dedicated to narrating this history. Observant Jews have been celebrating this feast for more than 3,400 years.
But is this feast only to celebrate the Israelites' departure from Egypt? Does the New Testament have anything to say about the occasion?
When John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ coming to the Jordan River to be baptized, he exclaimed, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
In the Bible the lamb is a symbol of the Passover because a lamb was slain at the beginning of the Passover and eaten that night. The Israelites knew the blood of the lamb had protected them from the death of their firstborn on that first Passover night they kept in Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).
In the New Testament, the Gospels record that Christ kept the Passover with His disciples several times. On the night before His death, Jesus knew He was fulfilling the symbolism of the Passover lamb in voluntarily giving His life for the sins of the entire world.
Notice Luke 22:14-16: "When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'"
Jesus then instituted the new symbols that represented not the sacrifice of a lamb, but His far greater sacrifice. The Passover symbols would now represent Christ's complete sacrifice—the unleavened bread representing His sinless body that was beaten for us, and a sip of wine signifying the lifeblood He would shed to wash away our sins.
From then on, this feast took on a much greater new meaning to the Church. Instead of being abolished, this feast now revealed its true, ultimate meaning. The disciples now realized the Passover lamb was only the physical forerunner of that perfect sacrifice which was Jesus Christ. Now they would keep this feast with far greater significance and comprehension.
Paul explains the Christian Passover
Some 25 years after Christ's death, the apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian congregation—composed of believing Jews and gentiles alike—about the Passover: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7, emphasis added throughout).
Paul understood this ancient feast of the Passover had now revealed its true meaning with Christ's sacrifice. It was part of God's plan for all of mankind that Jesus would come and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world—and the Passover anticipated it.
So, far from being obsolete, the Passover was revealed to have a vastly important meaning for Christians, with Jesus Christ being at its very center.
The apostle Paul explained this new understanding of the Passover to the Corinthian brethren when he instructed them on how to observe it: "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed [Passover night] took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'
"In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
So in the New Testament, the Passover becomes an annual reminder and symbol of Christ's sacrifice for all of us.
God's feasts reveal the future
The apostle Paul clearly understood that these biblical feasts were harbingers of what was to come in God's master plan of salvation. In a passage frequently misunderstood by many, Paul shows these feasts of the Lord were "shadows" of things to come—not of things that have already happened.
He warned the brethren not to be intimidated by some who were questioning their manner of keeping God's feasts, as well as the Sabbaths, new moons, and eating and drinking. He said, "So let no one judge [criticize or condemn] you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come . . . Let no one cheat you of your reward ..." (Colossians 2:16-18).
Paul was combating a group of ascetics who were introducing several strange doctrines, including worshiping angels (verse 18) and abstaining from wholesome food and drink (verse 21). He told the brethren to ignore them and continue observing what he had taught (and he certainly taught keeping the Passover, as we have seen). Regrettably, the Colossian brethren had been cowed by these self-righteous intruders and were starting to shy away from observing these feasts.
So Paul mentions how important they are, as foreshadowing coming events in God's plan for mankind. These events have not been completely accomplished so far, and many are still in the future.
Even the Passover's symbolism was not completely fulfilled with Christ's sacrificial death. Jesus Himself said He will again take the Passover with all the believers in God's Kingdom (Mark 14:24-25; Luke 22:15-16)—an act that represents the ultimate triumph of His sacrifice when all believers join Him in His Kingdom.
The Days of Unleavened Bread: Is Christ at the center?
What about the Days of Unleavened Bread? Are they obsolete, solely an Old Testament symbol? Or are they also glorious shadows of things to come?
In the Old Testament, the Days of Unleavened Bread were understood to be a memorial of what occurred after the Passover night, when all the Egyptian firstborn died.
The next morning the Israelites packed their belongings and traveled to a nearby gathering place, ready for departure. That evening, they left Egypt by night. "It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:42).
Before that evening, one last thing occurred: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves" (verse 39).
This feast of the Lord is clearly spelled out in Leviticus 23:6: "And on the fifteenth day of the same month [as Passover] is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread."
What does this feast have to do with Christ? What does it teach us about Him?
Unleavened bread—bread made without leaven—is mentioned in the Bible as something pure and unpolluted. All the grain sacrifices to be burned were to be made without leaven. "No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire" (Leviticus 2:11).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul explains the spiritual symbolism of unleavened bread. Rebuking the Church members in Corinth for their acceptance of sin, he tells them: "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
Yes, as Paul states, it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that removes our sins, and so we become "unleavened" in a spiritual sense. So, again, Jesus Christ is the focus of this feast of the Lord. The shadow of this feast points to what Jesus would do for all of us in cleansing us of sin and helping us to live sin-free lives.
Paul told the Corinthian brethren that they should continue to keep this feast that followed the Passover. "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (verse 8).
We see, then, that the spiritual meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread was revealed. Its deeper significance wasn't ultimately found in what had occurred in the Old Testament, but in Jesus Christ, the sinless one, who purged our sins and gave us a chance to be spiritually "unleavened" before God. As the apostle Jude noted, Jesus "is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24).
So Jesus Christ is at the center of this second feast of the Lord, too. He makes it possible for us to be spiritually "unleavened" before God.
Pentecost: Is Christ at the center of this feast?
In the Old Testament, the Feast of Pentecost is called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22). This is because Leviticus 23:15-16 mentions counting seven weeks (or Sabbaths) or "fifty days" from the day the wave sheaf was offered during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Thus the feast acquired the name of "fiftieth," which is what Pentecost means in the Greek language of the New Testament.
In the New Testament, 50 days after Christ had been resurrected, the first Christians were celebrating Pentecost, one of the feasts of the Lord. And, as recorded in Acts 2, what a day that was! On it they received the Holy Spirit from God. Suddenly the Old Testament Feast of Weeks had taken on a new meaning for them. The shadow of this feast had now become a reality! Pentecost would become the Church's anniversary of the receiving of God's Spirit.
Jesus Christ revealed the significance of this feast by sending the Holy Spirit to His brethren in the faith. He had told them, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49; compare John 16:7).
God's Spirit plays a crucial role in the life of Christians today as it did then. When a person receives God's Spirit upon repentance and baptism, that Spirit begins a process of spiritual transformation in the person's life, a transformation the Bible calls conversion (to learn more, request or download the free booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion).
Through this process, we shed our own way of thinking and living and allow Jesus Christ's attitude and way of life to guide everything we do. Paul described this life-transforming change in Galatians 2:20:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (King James Version).
Thus we see that Jesus is at the center of the Feast of Pentecost as well. Yet the ultimate fulfillment will only be realized after He returns to earth to establish God's Kingdom, when all will have access to God's Spirit. So this feast should still be kept as a memorial and a shadow until its purpose is completely accomplished.
Do we find the first-century Church continuing to keep Pentecost? In the book of Acts, we read of the apostle Paul hurrying to be in Jerusalem to keep this feast with the brethren. "For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost" (Acts 20:16).
Even in one of Paul's epistles in which he writes so much about the gospel message, he refers to his plans to remain in Ephesus to observe Pentecost with the Church members there before traveling to Corinth.
He writes: "I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost" (1 Corinthians 16:7-8, New Revised Standard Version).
The Feast of Trumpets: Is this a Christ-centered feast?
The next biblical feast is referred to in the Bible as the Feast of Trumpets. It is "a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts" (Leviticus 23:24, NRSV). God said when the trumpets were blown, "you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies" (Numbers 10:9).
Is the Feast of Trumpets also a shadow of Jesus Christ and His role in things to come?
In the New Testament, the symbolism of the trumpet is mentioned by Jesus. "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:30-31).
Often in the New Testament the sound of trumpets is tied to Christ's coming. Notice Paul's description of the resurrection of the dead at the time a great trumpet announces Christ's return: "Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
We find this again described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
So Christ will ultimately fulfill the symbolism behind the Feast of Trumpets. He is the center of this foreshadowing feast too. At His second coming, the trumpet shall sound, announcing the arrival of the King of Kings. Loud voices proclaim, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15).
But until the sound of the trumpet is heard, this feast is still pointing to the future, and its meaning is still to be fulfilled—with Jesus at its center.
The Day of Atonement: Is Christ involved in its meaning?
Perhaps the most unusual of the biblical feasts is the Day of Atonement. In Old Testament times, it included an elaborate ritual described in Leviticus 16. The high priest was to present two male goats, the first of which was sacrificed for the nation's sins (verse 15). Then, after the sins of the nation were symbolically placed on the other goat, it was expelled into the desert to a life of wandering (verses 21-22).
What does the Day of Atonement reveal about Jesus Christ's roles? Is He also at the center of this feast?
The Bible is full of rich symbolism, and the New Testament Church quickly realized Christ in His first coming was at the center of the feasts of the Lord. Just as He was described as being "our Passover" and "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8), so they came to understand that He was at the center of the Day of Atonement. How? He fulfilled the role of the male goat slain for the sins of Israel and carried outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27).
We read in Hebrews 13 about the Day of Atonement, and Christ being symbolic of the male goat and other animals slain on that day as sin offerings. "For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [of the city of Jerusalem]" (verses 11-12).
We should consider that while Christ has already been sacrificed, the atonement His sacrifice provides has not yet been applied to all of Israel. That will happen upon Israel's repentance at Christ's second coming.
Not only does the Day of Atonement depict Christ's sacrifice for sin and a true spiritual reconciling of the people with God, but Christ is directly involved in the symbolism of the other male goat that was cast out into the desert by a strong man (Leviticus 16:21).
The second goat, over which the sins of the Israelites were confessed, represented the instigator of those sins—none other than Satan the devil.
At Christ's second coming, He will instruct a powerful angel to bind Satan and cast him into a place of restraint for 1,000 years, exiling him from mankind just as the live goat was exiled from the Israelite camp on the Day of Atonement. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:1-2).
So Christ plays a dual role in the symbolism of the Day of Atonement. He is sacrificed as the first goat for the sins of the people, the atonement of which is yet to be applied to all Israel upon the nation's repentance at His return. And He will also be involved, as King of Kings, in banishing Satan at that time to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Feast of Tabernacles: How is Christ the center of this feast?
Next is the sixth biblical feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. In the Old Testament, it was kept to remind the Israelites of all of God's miraculous interventions during the 40-year period in the wilderness. "All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:42-43).
What does the Feast of Tabernacles have to do with Jesus Christ? Jesus is recorded to have kept this feast in John 7:2-36. The symbol of the tabernacle in the New Testament is rich with meaning.
During Christ's earthly ministry, the apostle John mentions that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The Greek term for "dwelt" here actually means that He "tabernacled" among us. Just as Jesus Christ as the Creator God of the Old Testament (John 1:1-3, 10; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16) "tabernacled" with the Israelites in the wilderness, He now did so with His people in His physical life many centuries later.
The apostle Paul says that the Israelites in the wilderness all "drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4, New International Version).
At Christ's second coming, He will again "tabernacle" with those who are saved. He will dwell with His people for a thousand years, and this 1,000-year rule of Jesus Christ over the earth is the ultimate fulfillment of this feast. "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6).
So Christ is definitely at the center of this feast too—as the ruler who "tabernacles" with His people for a thousand years.
The Last Great Day
The Feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days. Then, on the eighth day, there followed another, separate feast day, the last of the biblical feasts (Leviticus 23:36). What does this day have to do with Jesus Christ?
In John 7, an account of Jesus Christ's last Feast of Tabernacles on earth, we find Jesus declaring the significance of its conclusion. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).
He was talking about His return to earth, when He will freely offer the Holy Spirit to those who will believe in Him. Jesus died for all of mankind, but only a fraction have ever had the opportunity to know about Him and accept His offer of receiving the Holy Spirit.
Yet during Christ's 1,000-year reign, all of mankind will be offered God's Spirit. And beyond that, the Bible reveals there will come a future time when Christ will offer it to those who rise up in a resurrection of the dead from all past ages. In Revelation 20, we read what happens after the Millennium (pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles) is completed:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ... And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (Revelation 20:11-12).
This period is also called the White Throne Judgment, and it is Christ who has been appointed to judge all of mankind (John 5:26-27; Romans 14:10). This does not mean immediate condemnation but a judgment period, since the Book of Life is opened—meaning an opportunity is opened to receive God's Spirit and have one's name written into it. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:3 of those "who labored with me in the gospel ... and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life."
So Christ will also carry out the central role of this final feast, that of lovingly and mercifully offering the multitudes of the uninformed and the deceived an opportunity for conversion and salvation and to have their names inscribed in the Book of Life.
Thus, the seven feasts of the Lord are "a shadow of things to come," and Jesus Christ is at the center of all of them. Yet He has not brought them to ultimate fulfillment; that will only occur in the coming Kingdom of God.
Yes, Christ is our Passover, He is the Unleavened Bread that purifies us, the Giver of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the coming King whose arrival is announced by the blast of the trumpets, the one who banishes Satan for a thousand years, and who tabernacles with man as King of kings. Finally, He is to judge mankind and offer the great majority an opportunity to have their names written in the Book of Life.
This is why God's Church kept these feasts as shown in the New Testament (see "‘The Feasts of the Lord' in the Book of Acts" on page 25). This is why these holy feasts are still to be kept—to remind us of the central role Jesus Christ has in carrying out in the plan of God. Isn't it about time you started keeping them yourself? GN
Archived at The Biblical Festivals That Teach Us About Jesus Christ
by Mario Seiglie
"The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts" (Leviticus 23:2). Sounds impressive, doesn't it? God Almighty saying in Scripture, "These are My Feasts."
Yet for most of traditional Christianity, these "feasts of the LORD" are thought to have been kept only by the Jews and are deemed meaningless for Christians. New religious holidays have been substituted that supposedly center on Jesus Christ.
How did all this come to be? What is the true meaning of these "feasts of the LORD"? Do they have anything to do with Jesus Christ, or is their symbolism limited only to long-ago events? If we truly want to find the answers in the manner God instructs us, then we should follow the advice He inspired: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
The Bible gives us a good example of how to examine a belief to see if it is correct. When the apostle Paul traveled to Berea, he taught the Bereans certain things that must have been surprising to them. But they didn't close their minds or reject them. Instead, they were willing to give them a fair hearing by carefully examining the Scriptures. What was the result? We read in Acts 17:11-12 that these men and women "were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed ..."
So in examining the feasts of the Bible, will we give them a fair hearing as well? Do the Scriptures reveal whether these feasts teach us important truths about Jesus Christ?
The Passover: A Christ-centered feast?
The Passover is the first of God's annual feast days mentioned in Scripture. It commemorates the greatest event in the people of Israel's history—their miraculous liberation from Egypt. The second book of the Bible, Exodus, is dedicated to narrating this history. Observant Jews have been celebrating this feast for more than 3,400 years.
But is this feast only to celebrate the Israelites' departure from Egypt? Does the New Testament have anything to say about the occasion?
When John the Baptist saw Jesus Christ coming to the Jordan River to be baptized, he exclaimed, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
In the Bible the lamb is a symbol of the Passover because a lamb was slain at the beginning of the Passover and eaten that night. The Israelites knew the blood of the lamb had protected them from the death of their firstborn on that first Passover night they kept in Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).
In the New Testament, the Gospels record that Christ kept the Passover with His disciples several times. On the night before His death, Jesus knew He was fulfilling the symbolism of the Passover lamb in voluntarily giving His life for the sins of the entire world.
Notice Luke 22:14-16: "When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, ‘With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.'"
Jesus then instituted the new symbols that represented not the sacrifice of a lamb, but His far greater sacrifice. The Passover symbols would now represent Christ's complete sacrifice—the unleavened bread representing His sinless body that was beaten for us, and a sip of wine signifying the lifeblood He would shed to wash away our sins.
From then on, this feast took on a much greater new meaning to the Church. Instead of being abolished, this feast now revealed its true, ultimate meaning. The disciples now realized the Passover lamb was only the physical forerunner of that perfect sacrifice which was Jesus Christ. Now they would keep this feast with far greater significance and comprehension.
Paul explains the Christian Passover
Some 25 years after Christ's death, the apostle Paul instructed the Corinthian congregation—composed of believing Jews and gentiles alike—about the Passover: "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7, emphasis added throughout).
Paul understood this ancient feast of the Passover had now revealed its true meaning with Christ's sacrifice. It was part of God's plan for all of mankind that Jesus would come and sacrifice Himself for the sins of the world—and the Passover anticipated it.
So, far from being obsolete, the Passover was revealed to have a vastly important meaning for Christians, with Jesus Christ being at its very center.
The apostle Paul explained this new understanding of the Passover to the Corinthian brethren when he instructed them on how to observe it: "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed [Passover night] took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'
"In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
So in the New Testament, the Passover becomes an annual reminder and symbol of Christ's sacrifice for all of us.
God's feasts reveal the future
The apostle Paul clearly understood that these biblical feasts were harbingers of what was to come in God's master plan of salvation. In a passage frequently misunderstood by many, Paul shows these feasts of the Lord were "shadows" of things to come—not of things that have already happened.
He warned the brethren not to be intimidated by some who were questioning their manner of keeping God's feasts, as well as the Sabbaths, new moons, and eating and drinking. He said, "So let no one judge [criticize or condemn] you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come . . . Let no one cheat you of your reward ..." (Colossians 2:16-18).
Paul was combating a group of ascetics who were introducing several strange doctrines, including worshiping angels (verse 18) and abstaining from wholesome food and drink (verse 21). He told the brethren to ignore them and continue observing what he had taught (and he certainly taught keeping the Passover, as we have seen). Regrettably, the Colossian brethren had been cowed by these self-righteous intruders and were starting to shy away from observing these feasts.
So Paul mentions how important they are, as foreshadowing coming events in God's plan for mankind. These events have not been completely accomplished so far, and many are still in the future.
Even the Passover's symbolism was not completely fulfilled with Christ's sacrificial death. Jesus Himself said He will again take the Passover with all the believers in God's Kingdom (Mark 14:24-25; Luke 22:15-16)—an act that represents the ultimate triumph of His sacrifice when all believers join Him in His Kingdom.
The Days of Unleavened Bread: Is Christ at the center?
What about the Days of Unleavened Bread? Are they obsolete, solely an Old Testament symbol? Or are they also glorious shadows of things to come?
In the Old Testament, the Days of Unleavened Bread were understood to be a memorial of what occurred after the Passover night, when all the Egyptian firstborn died.
The next morning the Israelites packed their belongings and traveled to a nearby gathering place, ready for departure. That evening, they left Egypt by night. "It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:42).
Before that evening, one last thing occurred: "And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves" (verse 39).
This feast of the Lord is clearly spelled out in Leviticus 23:6: "And on the fifteenth day of the same month [as Passover] is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread."
What does this feast have to do with Christ? What does it teach us about Him?
Unleavened bread—bread made without leaven—is mentioned in the Bible as something pure and unpolluted. All the grain sacrifices to be burned were to be made without leaven. "No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire" (Leviticus 2:11).
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul explains the spiritual symbolism of unleavened bread. Rebuking the Church members in Corinth for their acceptance of sin, he tells them: "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:6-7).
Yes, as Paul states, it is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that removes our sins, and so we become "unleavened" in a spiritual sense. So, again, Jesus Christ is the focus of this feast of the Lord. The shadow of this feast points to what Jesus would do for all of us in cleansing us of sin and helping us to live sin-free lives.
Paul told the Corinthian brethren that they should continue to keep this feast that followed the Passover. "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (verse 8).
We see, then, that the spiritual meaning of the Days of Unleavened Bread was revealed. Its deeper significance wasn't ultimately found in what had occurred in the Old Testament, but in Jesus Christ, the sinless one, who purged our sins and gave us a chance to be spiritually "unleavened" before God. As the apostle Jude noted, Jesus "is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24).
So Jesus Christ is at the center of this second feast of the Lord, too. He makes it possible for us to be spiritually "unleavened" before God.
Pentecost: Is Christ at the center of this feast?
In the Old Testament, the Feast of Pentecost is called the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22). This is because Leviticus 23:15-16 mentions counting seven weeks (or Sabbaths) or "fifty days" from the day the wave sheaf was offered during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Thus the feast acquired the name of "fiftieth," which is what Pentecost means in the Greek language of the New Testament.
In the New Testament, 50 days after Christ had been resurrected, the first Christians were celebrating Pentecost, one of the feasts of the Lord. And, as recorded in Acts 2, what a day that was! On it they received the Holy Spirit from God. Suddenly the Old Testament Feast of Weeks had taken on a new meaning for them. The shadow of this feast had now become a reality! Pentecost would become the Church's anniversary of the receiving of God's Spirit.
Jesus Christ revealed the significance of this feast by sending the Holy Spirit to His brethren in the faith. He had told them, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49; compare John 16:7).
God's Spirit plays a crucial role in the life of Christians today as it did then. When a person receives God's Spirit upon repentance and baptism, that Spirit begins a process of spiritual transformation in the person's life, a transformation the Bible calls conversion (to learn more, request or download the free booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion).
Through this process, we shed our own way of thinking and living and allow Jesus Christ's attitude and way of life to guide everything we do. Paul described this life-transforming change in Galatians 2:20:
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (King James Version).
Thus we see that Jesus is at the center of the Feast of Pentecost as well. Yet the ultimate fulfillment will only be realized after He returns to earth to establish God's Kingdom, when all will have access to God's Spirit. So this feast should still be kept as a memorial and a shadow until its purpose is completely accomplished.
Do we find the first-century Church continuing to keep Pentecost? In the book of Acts, we read of the apostle Paul hurrying to be in Jerusalem to keep this feast with the brethren. "For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost" (Acts 20:16).
Even in one of Paul's epistles in which he writes so much about the gospel message, he refers to his plans to remain in Ephesus to observe Pentecost with the Church members there before traveling to Corinth.
He writes: "I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost" (1 Corinthians 16:7-8, New Revised Standard Version).
The Feast of Trumpets: Is this a Christ-centered feast?
The next biblical feast is referred to in the Bible as the Feast of Trumpets. It is "a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts" (Leviticus 23:24, NRSV). God said when the trumpets were blown, "you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies" (Numbers 10:9).
Is the Feast of Trumpets also a shadow of Jesus Christ and His role in things to come?
In the New Testament, the symbolism of the trumpet is mentioned by Jesus. "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:30-31).
Often in the New Testament the sound of trumpets is tied to Christ's coming. Notice Paul's description of the resurrection of the dead at the time a great trumpet announces Christ's return: "Behold, I tell you a mystery:
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
We find this again described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
So Christ will ultimately fulfill the symbolism behind the Feast of Trumpets. He is the center of this foreshadowing feast too. At His second coming, the trumpet shall sound, announcing the arrival of the King of Kings. Loud voices proclaim, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15).
But until the sound of the trumpet is heard, this feast is still pointing to the future, and its meaning is still to be fulfilled—with Jesus at its center.
The Day of Atonement: Is Christ involved in its meaning?
Perhaps the most unusual of the biblical feasts is the Day of Atonement. In Old Testament times, it included an elaborate ritual described in Leviticus 16. The high priest was to present two male goats, the first of which was sacrificed for the nation's sins (verse 15). Then, after the sins of the nation were symbolically placed on the other goat, it was expelled into the desert to a life of wandering (verses 21-22).
What does the Day of Atonement reveal about Jesus Christ's roles? Is He also at the center of this feast?
The Bible is full of rich symbolism, and the New Testament Church quickly realized Christ in His first coming was at the center of the feasts of the Lord. Just as He was described as being "our Passover" and "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8), so they came to understand that He was at the center of the Day of Atonement. How? He fulfilled the role of the male goat slain for the sins of Israel and carried outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27).
We read in Hebrews 13 about the Day of Atonement, and Christ being symbolic of the male goat and other animals slain on that day as sin offerings. "For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate [of the city of Jerusalem]" (verses 11-12).
We should consider that while Christ has already been sacrificed, the atonement His sacrifice provides has not yet been applied to all of Israel. That will happen upon Israel's repentance at Christ's second coming.
Not only does the Day of Atonement depict Christ's sacrifice for sin and a true spiritual reconciling of the people with God, but Christ is directly involved in the symbolism of the other male goat that was cast out into the desert by a strong man (Leviticus 16:21).
The second goat, over which the sins of the Israelites were confessed, represented the instigator of those sins—none other than Satan the devil.
At Christ's second coming, He will instruct a powerful angel to bind Satan and cast him into a place of restraint for 1,000 years, exiling him from mankind just as the live goat was exiled from the Israelite camp on the Day of Atonement. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:1-2).
So Christ plays a dual role in the symbolism of the Day of Atonement. He is sacrificed as the first goat for the sins of the people, the atonement of which is yet to be applied to all Israel upon the nation's repentance at His return. And He will also be involved, as King of Kings, in banishing Satan at that time to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
The Feast of Tabernacles: How is Christ the center of this feast?
Next is the sixth biblical feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. In the Old Testament, it was kept to remind the Israelites of all of God's miraculous interventions during the 40-year period in the wilderness. "All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 23:42-43).
What does the Feast of Tabernacles have to do with Jesus Christ? Jesus is recorded to have kept this feast in John 7:2-36. The symbol of the tabernacle in the New Testament is rich with meaning.
During Christ's earthly ministry, the apostle John mentions that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The Greek term for "dwelt" here actually means that He "tabernacled" among us. Just as Jesus Christ as the Creator God of the Old Testament (John 1:1-3, 10; Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16) "tabernacled" with the Israelites in the wilderness, He now did so with His people in His physical life many centuries later.
The apostle Paul says that the Israelites in the wilderness all "drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:4, New International Version).
At Christ's second coming, He will again "tabernacle" with those who are saved. He will dwell with His people for a thousand years, and this 1,000-year rule of Jesus Christ over the earth is the ultimate fulfillment of this feast. "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6).
So Christ is definitely at the center of this feast too—as the ruler who "tabernacles" with His people for a thousand years.
The Last Great Day
The Feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days. Then, on the eighth day, there followed another, separate feast day, the last of the biblical feasts (Leviticus 23:36). What does this day have to do with Jesus Christ?
In John 7, an account of Jesus Christ's last Feast of Tabernacles on earth, we find Jesus declaring the significance of its conclusion. "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).
He was talking about His return to earth, when He will freely offer the Holy Spirit to those who will believe in Him. Jesus died for all of mankind, but only a fraction have ever had the opportunity to know about Him and accept His offer of receiving the Holy Spirit.
Yet during Christ's 1,000-year reign, all of mankind will be offered God's Spirit. And beyond that, the Bible reveals there will come a future time when Christ will offer it to those who rise up in a resurrection of the dead from all past ages. In Revelation 20, we read what happens after the Millennium (pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles) is completed:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ... And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (Revelation 20:11-12).
This period is also called the White Throne Judgment, and it is Christ who has been appointed to judge all of mankind (John 5:26-27; Romans 14:10). This does not mean immediate condemnation but a judgment period, since the Book of Life is opened—meaning an opportunity is opened to receive God's Spirit and have one's name written into it. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:3 of those "who labored with me in the gospel ... and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life."
So Christ will also carry out the central role of this final feast, that of lovingly and mercifully offering the multitudes of the uninformed and the deceived an opportunity for conversion and salvation and to have their names inscribed in the Book of Life.
Thus, the seven feasts of the Lord are "a shadow of things to come," and Jesus Christ is at the center of all of them. Yet He has not brought them to ultimate fulfillment; that will only occur in the coming Kingdom of God.
Yes, Christ is our Passover, He is the Unleavened Bread that purifies us, the Giver of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the coming King whose arrival is announced by the blast of the trumpets, the one who banishes Satan for a thousand years, and who tabernacles with man as King of kings. Finally, He is to judge mankind and offer the great majority an opportunity to have their names written in the Book of Life.
This is why God's Church kept these feasts as shown in the New Testament (see "‘The Feasts of the Lord' in the Book of Acts" on page 25). This is why these holy feasts are still to be kept—to remind us of the central role Jesus Christ has in carrying out in the plan of God. Isn't it about time you started keeping them yourself? GN
Recommended Reading
Traditional Christianity has substituted its own days of worship for the biblical feast days that teach us so much about Jesus Christ and the future God has in store for the entire world. if you'd like to learn more, request or download your free copy of God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. To Learn about the surprising origins of our most popular holidays, request Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Really Matter Which Days We Observe?Archived at The Biblical Festivals That Teach Us About Jesus Christ
Monday, March 1, 2010
Passover starts at sunset Monday, the 29th of March
The biblical Passover starts at sunset Monday, the 29th of March.
The Passover Memorial
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church of God issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.
The Oracles of God
God's empowered the Jews - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.
The Pharisees
Who isn't aware of the sins of the Pharisees? Especially the Accuser of the Brethren? But does that mean the truths they teach, even if they don't live them, are no longer true?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
The Passover Memorial
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church of God issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.
The Oracles of God
God's empowered the Jews - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.
The Pharisees
Who isn't aware of the sins of the Pharisees? Especially the Accuser of the Brethren? But does that mean the truths they teach, even if they don't live them, are no longer true?
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
Why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Is it because our Father God left us in the dark? Has the God of law and order left us in chaos and confusion? Are we unable to "prove all things" from the Scriptures - as we're commanded - because we're unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the correct dates to observe God's holy days? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
Since there are many questions on this holy subject, we must start from the premise that God's Word is true, consistent and does not contradict itself (John 10:35) We must look for those basic Scriptures that are black and white and build our biblical case upon them. Such supportive Scriptures are actually abundantly available and the biblical evidence is overwhelming! Let us shine the Light of God's Word on our prayerful study with open minds, hearts and Bibles (Isa. 8:20; John 3:19-21; Acts 17:11).
The apostle Paul was inspired to write for the record that "the oracles of God" were committed to the Jews. The sacred calendar is clearly a part of "the oracles of God" (Ex. 12:2; Lev. 23:4). The purpose of the sacred calendar is for the Jews to determine and declare when the holy days of God are to be observed.
Jesus clearly revealed which Jews were responsible for these holy matters. Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3). God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).
God has also ordained that Church officials can make binding decisions based upon biblical legal precedents, affecting Church issues (such as discussed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council of elders), that do not undermine the foundation of the Church - the Law and the Prophets (Rom. 11;18; Eph. 2:20). God has not given Church leaders a license to "kill" the brethren by destroying them doctrinally, uprooting and overturning foundational truths, or "playing God" by stealing divine prerogatives! (Matt. 5:17, 19; 2 Thess. 2:3-4).
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.
So why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Because some have refused, rejected, denied and attempted to dismiss the biblical testimony! (Rom. 1:18; 3 John 9-10). We don't differ because God's forgotten or neglected to properly instruct His children in His ways (Deut. 6:7). We don't differ because we're unable to prove from the Scriptures, beyond a reasonable doubt, what's right and what's wrong.
"Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isa. 1:18), "for the LORD has a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel" (Micah 6:2).
We differ because some have questioned God's right to choose the Jews to preserve the Bible and doubt God's ability to see that they fulfill their serious responsibility (Ex. 4:11; Isa. 45:9).
We differ because some won't submit to the biblical fact that Jesus clearly decreed that the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat and attempt to usurp that authority by forcibly installing the Sadducees in that position instead. God destroyed the power-base of the Sadducees when the Temple was destroyed but preserved the Pharisees. The Sadducees are history! We must make sure that we support God's chosen and not find ourselves in the enemy camp. (I Kgs. 2:27,35; Acts 5:39).
God's Church, as a general rule, has stubbornly followed the blind Sadducean dates for Passover and Pentecost. That is to our shame! We must reject the rebellious traditions of men for the commandments of God, otherwise God will reject us as His Priest-King (Mark 7:7-9; 1 Sam. 15:23). It's that serious!
Some, knowing better, continue to enjoy bitter strife and envying, getting caught up in proud personality clashes rather than humbling themselves before the Word of God ( 2 Tim. 2:23-26; Jas. 3:13-18). Truth is truth. It shouldn't be a matter of "I'm right and you're wrong," but what does God's Word say? God is truth. None of us owns the truth, only God does. Any truth that we might have God's revealed it to us (1 Cor. 4:6-7). We're not to take credit for it - all credit goes to God (2 Cor. 4:7).
Thankfully, a growing number of the brethren are beginning to see that the Bible does prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, which holy dates God would have us to observe. Therefore, may we celebrate God's holy days as He would have us to - "in spirit and in truth" - and praise Him for restoring this truth to His Church!
Since there are many questions on this holy subject, we must start from the premise that God's Word is true, consistent and does not contradict itself (John 10:35) We must look for those basic Scriptures that are black and white and build our biblical case upon them. Such supportive Scriptures are actually abundantly available and the biblical evidence is overwhelming! Let us shine the Light of God's Word on our prayerful study with open minds, hearts and Bibles (Isa. 8:20; John 3:19-21; Acts 17:11).
The apostle Paul was inspired to write for the record that "the oracles of God" were committed to the Jews. The sacred calendar is clearly a part of "the oracles of God" (Ex. 12:2; Lev. 23:4). The purpose of the sacred calendar is for the Jews to determine and declare when the holy days of God are to be observed.
Jesus clearly revealed which Jews were responsible for these holy matters. Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3). God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).
God has also ordained that Church officials can make binding decisions based upon biblical legal precedents, affecting Church issues (such as discussed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council of elders), that do not undermine the foundation of the Church - the Law and the Prophets (Rom. 11;18; Eph. 2:20). God has not given Church leaders a license to "kill" the brethren by destroying them doctrinally, uprooting and overturning foundational truths, or "playing God" by stealing divine prerogatives! (Matt. 5:17, 19; 2 Thess. 2:3-4).
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.
So why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Because some have refused, rejected, denied and attempted to dismiss the biblical testimony! (Rom. 1:18; 3 John 9-10). We don't differ because God's forgotten or neglected to properly instruct His children in His ways (Deut. 6:7). We don't differ because we're unable to prove from the Scriptures, beyond a reasonable doubt, what's right and what's wrong.
"Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isa. 1:18), "for the LORD has a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel" (Micah 6:2).
We differ because some have questioned God's right to choose the Jews to preserve the Bible and doubt God's ability to see that they fulfill their serious responsibility (Ex. 4:11; Isa. 45:9).
We differ because some won't submit to the biblical fact that Jesus clearly decreed that the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat and attempt to usurp that authority by forcibly installing the Sadducees in that position instead. God destroyed the power-base of the Sadducees when the Temple was destroyed but preserved the Pharisees. The Sadducees are history! We must make sure that we support God's chosen and not find ourselves in the enemy camp. (I Kgs. 2:27,35; Acts 5:39).
God's Church, as a general rule, has stubbornly followed the blind Sadducean dates for Passover and Pentecost. That is to our shame! We must reject the rebellious traditions of men for the commandments of God, otherwise God will reject us as His Priest-King (Mark 7:7-9; 1 Sam. 15:23). It's that serious!
Some, knowing better, continue to enjoy bitter strife and envying, getting caught up in proud personality clashes rather than humbling themselves before the Word of God ( 2 Tim. 2:23-26; Jas. 3:13-18). Truth is truth. It shouldn't be a matter of "I'm right and you're wrong," but what does God's Word say? God is truth. None of us owns the truth, only God does. Any truth that we might have God's revealed it to us (1 Cor. 4:6-7). We're not to take credit for it - all credit goes to God (2 Cor. 4:7).
Thankfully, a growing number of the brethren are beginning to see that the Bible does prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, which holy dates God would have us to observe. Therefore, may we celebrate God's holy days as He would have us to - "in spirit and in truth" - and praise Him for restoring this truth to His Church!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Forget Easter, remember Passover!
Hear O British-Israel: Remember your Hebrew roots and Faith once delivered!
2 Chronicles 30:1-11
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.
6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary [this includes the Land of Israel where Israelite representatives ought to be encouraged to move to], which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."
10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them [often this is the same response the servants of God receive today by our proud and stubborn Israelite peoples who prefer their Gentile traditions to biblical truth and by smug Jewish brethren who want to remain exclusivist]. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem
Israel and Judah Must Get House in Order Before King Messiah Arrives
Ezekiel 3:7
But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
Some precious few British and Euro-Israelites have repented of keeping pagan holidays pretending to be Christian (like Christmas and Easter) and have been restored to keeping the biblical festivals that soon the whole world will observe in spirit and in truth.
The majority of professing Christians, many Israelite in origin, continue to live a pagan Gentile lie, and act like drunks and whores, inviting disaster upon our nations, divine judgment upon our peoples. They won't be able to say they weren't warned, but will have been left without excuse.
A Nation of Drunks and Whores
Europe Nukes US!
Death to America?
Shape up or get shipped out!
2 Chronicles 30:1-11
1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.
6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary [this includes the Land of Israel where Israelite representatives ought to be encouraged to move to], which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."
10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them [often this is the same response the servants of God receive today by our proud and stubborn Israelite peoples who prefer their Gentile traditions to biblical truth and by smug Jewish brethren who want to remain exclusivist]. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem
Israel and Judah Must Get House in Order Before King Messiah Arrives
Ezekiel 3:7
But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
Some precious few British and Euro-Israelites have repented of keeping pagan holidays pretending to be Christian (like Christmas and Easter) and have been restored to keeping the biblical festivals that soon the whole world will observe in spirit and in truth.
The majority of professing Christians, many Israelite in origin, continue to live a pagan Gentile lie, and act like drunks and whores, inviting disaster upon our nations, divine judgment upon our peoples. They won't be able to say they weren't warned, but will have been left without excuse.
A Nation of Drunks and Whores
Europe Nukes US!
Death to America?
Shape up or get shipped out!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Christians who refuse to follow Christ's command to obey the Pharisees
Further excerpts from a forum that amount to vain opposition from professing Christians (who should know better) to the God-given authority of the Jews, specifically the Pharisees (today's Rabbinic Judaism), to proclaim the proper holy days/dates from Moses' Seat. What follows are comments and my responses:
Christ kept the Passover as the Sadducees - as the fourteenth was coming in - not as the Pharisees - as the Passover was going out.
So you believe Yeshua was a hypocrite? He recognized the God-given authority of the Pharisees and said to DO what they said. Furthermore, is the Son greater than the Father? The Father had Yeshua die at the exact same time as the majority of Jews, correctly following the Pharisees, had their lambs slain.
The Passover Memorial
Christ addresses the Pharisees because they controlled the Temple during His time but it could have just as easily been the Sadducee.
Not so, because the Sadducees did work in the Temple but the Pharisees rightly saw to it that they went by what the Pharisees said to DO, just like Yeshua commanded His followers to DO.
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
God's empowered the - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.
Here's the problem with all of this. Indeed the Father gave the Jews this very auspicious honour but like so many other things they failed to keep it. How many different ways do the Jews use to calculate the Passover?
The problem is folks refuse to submit that Yeshua acknowledged the PHARISEES alone, today's rabbinic Judaism, have this God-given authority. They have not failed to preserve God's Word, His sacred calendar and God has not reneged on His gifts and calling for Judah.
The Oracles of God
Remember though, God originally told the Levitical Priests to determine the New Moons - a priesthood that no longer exists!. God said He had caused His Sabbaths and His Holy Days to be forgotten in Zion. (Lam. 2:6)
That's what MOSES' SEAT is all about - only those in Moses' Seat have God-given authority to proclaim and determine these matters. Yeshua clearly said the PHARISEES - not any of the other competing groups - have this God-given authority. Rabbinic Judaism still exists and Judah will continue to hold the scepter - whether Gentiles or Gentilized Israelites like it or not - until Shiloh, the King of the Jews, returns and reigns from Jerusalem.
The Pharisees
Those who rightly divide the Word of truth no that God's holy days have never been forgotten, and that Lamentations was referring to Jerusalem as a festive site sitting barren and desolate without their observance. It's absolutely ludicrous and unscriptural to think the Jews who Yeshua said sit in Moses' Seat and Paul acknowledged the oracles of God have been committed to, have "forgotten" them! If that were true, Yeshua and Paul were liars and sinners not properly keeping the right days or dates, and the Jews who met for Shavuot and received the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem (not Rome) didn't have a clue, but thankfully they did and the Jews continue to preserve this knowledge despite their imperfections, just as God has decreed.
************
Christ kept the Passover as the Sadducees - as the fourteenth was coming in - not as the Pharisees - as the Passover was going out.
So you believe Yeshua was a hypocrite? He recognized the God-given authority of the Pharisees and said to DO what they said. Furthermore, is the Son greater than the Father? The Father had Yeshua die at the exact same time as the majority of Jews, correctly following the Pharisees, had their lambs slain.
The Passover Memorial
Christ addresses the Pharisees because they controlled the Temple during His time but it could have just as easily been the Sadducee.
Not so, because the Sadducees did work in the Temple but the Pharisees rightly saw to it that they went by what the Pharisees said to DO, just like Yeshua commanded His followers to DO.
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
God's empowered the - despite themselves - to preserve His Word. They are the only people on Earth that God has blessed and ordained to fulfill such a calling! God will not retract His Word or renege on this gift and responsibility that He's graciously bestowed upon Judah.
Here's the problem with all of this. Indeed the Father gave the Jews this very auspicious honour but like so many other things they failed to keep it. How many different ways do the Jews use to calculate the Passover?
The problem is folks refuse to submit that Yeshua acknowledged the PHARISEES alone, today's rabbinic Judaism, have this God-given authority. They have not failed to preserve God's Word, His sacred calendar and God has not reneged on His gifts and calling for Judah.
The Oracles of God
Remember though, God originally told the Levitical Priests to determine the New Moons - a priesthood that no longer exists!. God said He had caused His Sabbaths and His Holy Days to be forgotten in Zion. (Lam. 2:6)
That's what MOSES' SEAT is all about - only those in Moses' Seat have God-given authority to proclaim and determine these matters. Yeshua clearly said the PHARISEES - not any of the other competing groups - have this God-given authority. Rabbinic Judaism still exists and Judah will continue to hold the scepter - whether Gentiles or Gentilized Israelites like it or not - until Shiloh, the King of the Jews, returns and reigns from Jerusalem.
The Pharisees
Those who rightly divide the Word of truth no that God's holy days have never been forgotten, and that Lamentations was referring to Jerusalem as a festive site sitting barren and desolate without their observance. It's absolutely ludicrous and unscriptural to think the Jews who Yeshua said sit in Moses' Seat and Paul acknowledged the oracles of God have been committed to, have "forgotten" them! If that were true, Yeshua and Paul were liars and sinners not properly keeping the right days or dates, and the Jews who met for Shavuot and received the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem (not Rome) didn't have a clue, but thankfully they did and the Jews continue to preserve this knowledge despite their imperfections, just as God has decreed.
************
Obey Christ and the Pharisees!
Jews hold scepter until Shiloh comes
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Jews hold scepter until Shiloh comes
Re: Obey Christ and the Pharisees!
I've properly presented plenty of Scriptures that don't only "suggest" but prove the God-given authority of the Pharisees is established until Shiloh comes - the return of the King of the Jews - who will reign from Jerusalem.
Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3).
Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
And I've always stressed they have that God-given authority over us at least in regard to proclaiming and determining the proper holy dates/days.
And note well this important fact: Paul wrote that God has given it to the Jews to preserve "the oracles of God" (God's Word, sacred calendar, holy days) even after Jesus had given authority to His disciples. He didn't say, "Now God's Church has seized control of everything." That's a Catholic doctrine of demons; part of its accursed replacement theology and attempt to change the times and the seasons. Furthermore, Yeshua commanded His disciples/apostles to teach others what He had commanded them and that includes the recognition of the God-given authority of the Pharisees.
Romans 3
1What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Genesis 49
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes
This clearly proves to those not wearing traditional blinders that the JEWS are responsible for these matters, and Yeshua and Paul clarified which Jews by acknowledging the God-given authority of the Pharisees. Two witnesses against those who would shamefully teach otherwise.
God is true and those who oppose His Word and Will are liars, because God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift that some covet and others seek to steal (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).
Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
God has clearly stated He has empowered the Jews, specifically the Pharisees, to preserve His oracles and proclaim and determine His holy dates/days until Shiloh comes, until the return of the King of the JEWS. How plain and simple and consistent for those with eyes to see.
The Oracles of God
The Pharisees
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
With regards to the 'authority of the Pharisees,' I have yet to be presented with any scripture which suggests in the least that their authority extended beyond that particular time period when Christ spoke in this regard
I've properly presented plenty of Scriptures that don't only "suggest" but prove the God-given authority of the Pharisees is established until Shiloh comes - the return of the King of the Jews - who will reign from Jerusalem.
Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3).
Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
And I've always stressed they have that God-given authority over us at least in regard to proclaiming and determining the proper holy dates/days.
And note well this important fact: Paul wrote that God has given it to the Jews to preserve "the oracles of God" (God's Word, sacred calendar, holy days) even after Jesus had given authority to His disciples. He didn't say, "Now God's Church has seized control of everything." That's a Catholic doctrine of demons; part of its accursed replacement theology and attempt to change the times and the seasons. Furthermore, Yeshua commanded His disciples/apostles to teach others what He had commanded them and that includes the recognition of the God-given authority of the Pharisees.
Romans 3
1What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Genesis 49
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes
This clearly proves to those not wearing traditional blinders that the JEWS are responsible for these matters, and Yeshua and Paul clarified which Jews by acknowledging the God-given authority of the Pharisees. Two witnesses against those who would shamefully teach otherwise.
God is true and those who oppose His Word and Will are liars, because God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift that some covet and others seek to steal (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).
Romans 11
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
God has clearly stated He has empowered the Jews, specifically the Pharisees, to preserve His oracles and proclaim and determine His holy dates/days until Shiloh comes, until the return of the King of the JEWS. How plain and simple and consistent for those with eyes to see.
The Oracles of God
The Pharisees
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
By David Ben-Ariel
Why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Is it because our Father God left us in the dark? Has the God of law and order left us in chaos and confusion? Are we unable to "prove all things" from the Scriptures - as we're commanded - because we're unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the correct dates to observe God's holy days? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
By David Ben-Ariel
Why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Is it because our Father God left us in the dark? Has the God of law and order left us in chaos and confusion? Are we unable to "prove all things" from the Scriptures - as we're commanded - because we're unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the correct dates to observe God's holy days? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
Since there are many questions on this holy subject, we must start from the premise that God's Word is true, consistent and does not contradict itself (John 10:35). We must look for those basic Scriptures that are black and white and build our biblical case upon them.
Such supportive Scriptures are actually abundantly available and the biblical evidence is overwhelming! Let us shine the Light of God's Word on our prayerful study with open minds, hearts and Bibles (Isa. 8:20; John 3:19-21; Acts 17:11).
The apostle Paul was inspired to write for the record that "the oracles of God" were committed to the Jews. The sacred calendar is clearly a part of "the oracles of God" (Ex. 12:2; Lev. 23:4). The purpose of the sacred calendar is for the Jews to determine and declare when the holy days of God are to be observed.
Jesus clearly revealed which Jews were responsible for these holy matters. Jesus declared that "the scribes and the PHARISEES sit in Moses' seat" of AUTHORITY (Matt. 23:2). God has ordained that the Jews preserve His Word on the Law, Prophets and Writings - despite themselves (Rom. 3:2-3). God will not renege on giving Judah this special calling and precious gift (Gen. 49:10, Rom. 11:29).
God has also ordained that Church officials can make binding decisions based upon biblical legal precedents, affecting Church issues (such as discussed in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council of elders), that do not undermine the foundation of the Church - the Law and the Prophets (Rom. 11;18; Eph. 2:20).
God has not given Church leaders a license to "kill" the brethren by destroying them doctrinally, uprooting and overturning foundational truths, or "playing God" by stealing divine prerogatives (Matt. 5:17, 19; 2 Thess. 2:3-4).
The correct dates to observe God's holy days should not be a Church of God issue, having been settled by God thousands of years ago and preserved throughout the ages by faithful Jews.
So why do we differ on Passover and Pentecost? Because some have refused, rejected, denied and attempted to dismiss the biblical testimony (Rom. 1:18; 3 John 9-10).
We don't differ because God's forgotten or neglected to properly instruct His children in His ways (Deut. 6:7).
We don't differ because we're unable to prove from the Scriptures, beyond a reasonable doubt, what's right and what's wrong.
"Come now and let us reason together, saith the LORD" (Isa. 1:18), "for the LORD has a controversy with His people, and He will plead with Israel" (Micah 6:2).
We differ because some have questioned God's right to choose the Jews to preserve the Bible and doubt God's ability to see that they fulfill their serious responsibility (Ex. 4:11; Isa. 45:9).
We differ because some won't submit to the biblical fact that Jesus clearly decreed that the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat and attempt to usurp that authority by forcibly installing the Sadducees in that position instead. God destroyed the power-base of the Sadducees when the Temple was destroyed but preserved the Pharisees. The Sadducees are history! We must make sure that we support God's chosen and not find ourselves in the enemy camp. (1 Kgs. 2:27,35; Acts 5:39).
God's Church, as a general rule, has stubbornly followed the blind Sadducean dates for Passover and Pentecost. That is to our shame! We must reject the rebellious traditions of men for the commandments of God, otherwise God will reject us as His Priest-King (Mark 7:7-9; 1 Sam. 15:23). It's that serious!
Some, knowing better, continue to enjoy bitter strife and envying, getting caught up in proud personality clashes rather than humbling themselves before the Word of God ( 2 Tim. 2:23-26; Jas. 3:13-18). Truth is truth. It shouldn't be a matter of "I'm right and you're wrong," but what does God's Word say? God is truth. None of us owns the truth, only God does. Any truth that we might have God's revealed it to us (1 Cor. 4:6-7). We're not to take credit for it - all credit goes to God (2 Cor. 4:7).
Thankfully, a growing number of the brethren are beginning to see that the Bible does prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, which holy dates God would have us to observe. Therefore, may we celebrate God's holy days as He would have us to - "in spirit and in truth" - and praise Him for restoring this truth to His Church!
Friday, May 23, 2008
The Plain Truth About Easter by Herbert W. Armstrong
The Plain Truth About Easter
by Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)
1973
The Resurrection was not on Easter Sunday! Easter is not a Christian name, but the title of the idolatrous "queen of heaven." Here's an explanation of the true origin and meaning of Lent, Easter eggs, and sunrise services!
WHY DO you believe the things you believe, do the things you do?
The chances are you never stopped to ask yourself that question. You have been taught since childhood to accept Easter as the chief of the Christian holidays.
You have supposed it is part of the true Christian religion to observe Lent, "Holy Week," "Good Friday," to buy hot cross buns at the bakery, to have colored Easter eggs, to dress up and go to church Easter Sunday—perhaps to attend an Easter sunrise service!
Because of the "sheep" instinct in humans, most of us believe a lot of things that are not true. Most of us do a lot of things that are wrong, supposing these things to be right, or even sacred!
Ishtar the Pagan Goddess
What is the meaning of the name "Easter"? You have been led to suppose the word means "resurrection of Christ." For 1600 years the Western world has been taught that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday morning. But that is merely one of the fables the Apostle Paul warned readers of the New Testament to expect. The resurrection did not occur on Sunday!
The name "Easter," which is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian goddess Ishtar, comes to us from old Teutonic mythology where it is known as Ostern. The Phoenician name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the sun god, whose worship is denounced by the Almighty in the Bible as the most abominable of all pagan idolatry.
Look up the word "Easter" in Webster's dictionary. You will find it clearly reveals the pagan origin of the name.
In the large five-volume Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, only six brief lines are given to the name "Easter," because it occurs only once in the Bible—and that only in the Authorized King James translation. Says Hastings: "Easter, used in Authorized Version as the translation of 'Pascha' in Acts 12:4, 'Intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.' Revised Standard Version has substituted correctly 'the Passover.'"
Apostles Observed Passover
The World Almanac, 1968 edition, page 187, says: "In the second century A.D., Easter Day was, among Christians in Asia Minor [that is, in the Churches at Ephesus, Galatia, etc.—the so called "Gentile" churches raised up by the Apostle Paul] the 14th of Nisan, the seventh month of the Jewish [civil] calendar." In other words, the 14th day of the first month of the sacred calendar, and it was not then called by the name of the pagan deity "Easter," but by the Bible name "Passover."
Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the holy days God had ordained forever were all observed by Jesus, and the early apostles, and the converted Gentile Christians (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 18:21; 20:6, 16; I Corinthians 5:7-8; 16:8). Passover is a memorial of the crucifixion of Christ (Luke 22:19). Passover, observed by the early true Church, occurred not on Sunday or any fixed day of the week, but on a calendar day of the year. The day of the week varies from year to year.
Easter is one of the pagan days Paul warned Gentile converts they must not return to observing (Galatians 4:9-10).
How, then, did this pagan festival enter into and fasten itself upon a professing Christianity? That is a surprising story—but first, notice the true origin and nature of Easter.
Its Chaldean Origin
Easter, as Alexander Hislop says (The Two Babylons, p. 103), "bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven. . . ."
The ancient gods of the pagans had many different names. While this goddess was called Astarte by the Phoenicians, it appears on Assyrian monuments found by Layard in excavations at Nineveh as Ishtar (Austen H. Layard, Nineveh and Babylon, Vol. II, p. 629). Both were pronounced "Easter." Likewise, Bel (referred to in the Old Testament), also was called Molech. It was for sacrificing to Molech (I Kings 11:1-11, especially verse 7. where Molech is called an abomination) and other pagan gods that the Eternal condemned Solomon, and rended away the Kingdom of Israel from his son.
In the ancient Chaldean idolatrous sun-worship, as practiced by the Phoenicians, Baal was the sun god; Astarte, his consort or wife. And Astarte is the same as Ishtar, or the English "Easter."
Says Hislop: "The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish [and Protestant] Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It was called Pascha, or the Passover, and . . . was very early observed by many professing Christians. . . . That festival agreed originally with the time of the Jewish Passover, when Christ was crucified. . . . That festival was not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent" (The Two Babylons, p. 104).
Where Did We Get Lent?
"Howbeit you should know," wrote Johannes Cassianus (John Cassian) in the fifth century, "that as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken, this observance of Lent did not exist" (First Conference Abbot Theonas, chapter 30).
Jesus observed no Lent. The apostles and the early true Church of God observed no Lenten season. Then how did this observance originate?
"The forty days' abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, in the spring of the year, is still observed by the Yezidis or pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans. . . . Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt . . ." (The Two Babylons, pp. 104, 105). In fact this Egyptian Lent of forty days was observed expressly in honor of Osiris, also known as Adonis in Syria and Tammuz in Babylonia (Sabaean Researches, by John Landseer, pp. 111, 112).
Do you realize what has happened? God Almighty commanded His people to observe the Passover forever! (Exodus 12:24.) This command was given while the Israelites were still in Egypt, prior to the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses! It pictured, before the crucifixion, Christ's death for the remission of our sins, as a type looking forward to it. At His last Passover, Jesus changed the emblems used from the blood of a lamb and eating its roasted body to the bread and wine.
Jesus did not abolish Passover—He merely changed the emblems, or symbols used. All the apostles of Christ and true Christians of the first century true Church observed it on the 14th day of the first month of the sacred calendar. It is now a memorial of Christ's death, reaffirming, year by year on its anniversary, the true Christian's faith in the blood of Christ for the remission of his sins, and the broken body of Christ for his physical healing.
But what has happened? Do you realize it? All Western nations have been deceived into dropping the festival God ordained forever to commemorate the death of the true Saviour for our sins, and substituting in its place the pagan festival in commemoration of the counterfeit "savior" and mediator Baal, the sun god, named after the mythical Ishtar, his wife—actually none other than the ancient Semiramis, who palmed herself off as the wife of the sun god, the idolatrous "queen of heaven."
This is not Christian! It is pagan to the core!
Yet scores of millions are deceived into observing this form of heathen idolatry, under the delusion they are honoring Jesus Christ the Son of the Creator God!
Easter does not honor Christ! And yet, have you not been like a blind sheep, following the other millions in observing this custom? "The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).
Dyed Eggs
But did you know that dyed Easter eggs also figured in the ancient Babylonian mystery rites, just as they do in Easter observance today? Yes, these are pagan, too.
It is recorded in Edward Davies' The Mythology and Rites of the British Druids, page 210, that the ancient Druids bore an egg as the sacred emblem of their idolatrous order.
Eggs were sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of the religious ceremonies in Egypt and in the Orient.
According to James Bonwick: "Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial" (Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, pp. 211-212).
Why do people who believe themselves to be Christians dye eggs at Easter? Do they suppose the Bible ordained, or commands, this heathen custom? There is not a word of it in the New Testament. Certainly Christ did not start it, and the apostles and early Christians did none of it!
Then why should you do it today? Why follow heathenism and try to convince yourself you are a Christian? God calls such things abomination!
Easter Sunrise Services
You think Easter sunrise services are beautiful? Listen! God was showing the Prophet Ezekiel the sins of His people in a vision—a prophecy for today! "Turn thee yet again," said God, "and thou shalt see greater abominations than these [Ezekiel had just been shown, in vision, idol worship among professing people of God]. And he brought me [in vision] into the inner court of the Eternal's house, and behold . . . between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with . . . their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing . . . that they commit the abominations which they commit here? . . . Therefore will I deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them"! (Ezekiel 8:15-18.)
Do you grasp at this most abominable thing is?
It is the identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning—the sunrise service—standing with their faces toward the east, as the sun is rising, in a service of worship which honors the sun god and his mythical idolatrous consort, goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient sun worship of the sun god Baal! Throughout the Bible this is revealed as the most abominable of all idolatry in the sight of the Eternal Creator!
How Easter Crept Into the Church
Such is the origin and early history of Easter.
How, then, was this pagan festival injected into professing Christian religion, as a substitute for an ordinance of God?
Before revealing briefly the astonishing account of this great deception, two facts must be firmly fixed in mind.
First, Jesus and the apostles foretold, not a universal, widespread popular growth of the true New Testament Church, but a falling away from the truth on the part of the great majority. Prophesying a popular, universal falling away from the faith once delivered, to the Thessalonians Paul stated, "The mystery of iniquity doth already work," only some 20 years after the Church began! He referred to the very "Chaldean Mysteries," of which Easter and Christmas were the two chief festivals!
Second, although Jesus said the gates of hell would never prevail against His church, yet it is prophesied in the New Testament to be the "little flock"—never as a great, large, popular universal church (Luke 12:32).
This is the very fact the world does not realize today!
TWO Churches---One False, One True
In New Testament prophecy two churches are described.
One, the great and powerful and universal church, a part of the world, actually ruling in its politics over many nations, and united with the "Holy Roman Empire," is brought to a concrete focus in Revelation 17.
This church is pictured with great pomp, ritual and display, decked in purple, scarlet and gold—proud, worldly, boastful. She is pictured as a universal deceiver—all the Western nations spiritually drunk with her false doctrines, their spiritual perception so blurred by her paganized teachings and practices they are unable to clearly distinguish truth! She boasts she is the true Church, yet she is drunken with the blood of the saints she has caused to be martyred!
But how could she have deceived the whole world, as foretold in God's Word? Surely, the Protestant world isn't deceived!
Oh, but it is! Notice, verse 5, she is a mother church!. Her daughters are also churches who have come out of her, in protest, calling themselves Protestant—but they are fundamentally of her family in pagan doctrines and practices!
They, too, make themselves a part of this world, taking active part in its politics—the very act which made a "harlot" out of their mother!
The entire apostate family—mother, and more than 400 daughter denominations, all divided against each other and in confusion of doctrines, yet all united in the chief pagan doctrines and festivals—has a family name! They call themselves "Christian," but God calls them something else—"Mystery, Babylon the Great"!
"Babylon" means confusion! God always names people and things by calling them what they are! And here are the identical ancient Babylonian Mysteries now wrapped in the false cloak labeled "Christianity"—but in fact it is the same old "Babylonian Mystery System."
But where, then, was the true Church?
TRUE Church Small—Scattered
Did the true Church of God, of which Jesus Christ is the living, directing Head, become perverted—did it merely apostatize into the system described above?
No! The gates of hell have never prevailed against the true Church of God, and never will! The true Church has never fallen! It has never ceased!
But the true Church of God is pictured in prophecy as the "little flock"! The New Testament describes this Church as continually persecuted, despised by the large popular churches because it is not OF this world or its politics, but has kept itself unspotted from the world! It has always kept the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus (Revelation 12:17). It has kept God's Festivals, not the pagan holidays. It has been empowered with the Spirit of God!
That Church never became the great popular church, as the Protestant world supposes! That Church has always existed, and it exists today!
Then where did it go? Where was it during the Middle. Ages? Where is it today?
First, remember this Church was never large, never politically powerful, or a world-known organization of men. It is a spiritual organism, not a political organization. It is composed of all whose hearts and lives have been changed by the Spirit of God, whether visibly together, or individually scattered.
Under the lash of continual persecution and opposition from the organized forces of this world, it is difficult for such a people to remain united and organized together.
Daniel prophesied the true people of God would be scattered (Daniel 12:7) Ezekiel foretold it (Ezekiel 34:5-12). Jeremiah, too (Jeremiah 23:1-2). Jesus foretold it (Matthew 26:31). The apostolic Church was soon scattered by persecution (Acts 8:1).
Ignored by Most Histories
You don't read much of this true Body of Christ in the secular histories of this world! No, the world little notes, nor long remembers, the activities of this "little flock," hated and despised by the world, driven to the wilderness by persecution, always opposed, usually scattered! But there are enough references to it in authentic histories to show that it has continued through every century to now!
The prophecies bring this Church into concrete focus in the 12th chapter of Revelation. There she is shown spiritually, in the glory and splendor of the Spirit of God, but visibly in the world as a persecuted Commandment-keeping Church driven into the wilderness, for 1260 years, through the Middle Ages!
Even in Paul's day, many among those attending at Antioch, at Jerusalem, at Ephesus, at Corinth, and other places, began to apostatize and turn away from the truth. Divisions sprang up. Those individuals, unconverted or turned from God's truth and way of life, were no part of God's true Church, though visibly assembling with those who were. The "mystery of iniquity" was already working inside these visible churches. This apostasy increased! By the year AD 125 the majority in most churches, especially those Gentile-born, were continuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though professing to be Christian! Gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of the visible churches going by the name "Christian" remained truly yielded to God and His truth, and led of His Spirit. After Constantine took virtual control of the visible, professing Church in the early fourth century, this visible organization became almost wholly pagan, and began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the true Word of God! Finally, it became necessary for real Christians, who, even as a scattered people, alone composed the true Christian Church, to flee from the jurisdiction of Rome in order truly to worship God! Thus, the visible, organized Church which rose to power was the FALSE Church—the fallen woman of Revelation 17.
Injected Into the Church
Nothing illustrates this very fact more vividly than the actual history of the injecting of Easter into the Western Church.
Here is the quick, brief history of it, from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th edition, Vol. VIII, pp. 828-829):
"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. . . . The first Christians [the original true Church] continued to observe the Jewish [that is, God's] festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb and the first fruits from the dead, continued to be observed.
"Although the observance of Easter was at a very early period in the practice of the Christian Church, a serious difference as to the day for its observance soon arose between the Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which led to a long and bitter controversy. With the Jewish Christians . . . the fast ended . . . on the 14th day of the moon at evening . . . without regard to the day of the week. The Gentile Christians on the other hand [that is, the beginning of the Roman Church, now substituting pagan for true Christian doctrines] . . . identified the first day of the week with the resurrection, and kept the preceding Friday as the commemoration of the crucifixion, irrespective of the day of the month.
"Generally speaking, the Western Churches [Catholic] kept Easter on the 1st day of the week, while the Eastern Churches [containing most of those who remained as part of the true Christian Church] followed the Jewish rule. [That is, observing Passover on the 14th of the first sacred month instead of the pagan Easter.]
"Polycarp, the disciple of John the Evangelist, and bishop of Smyrna, visited Rome in 159 [sic] to confer with Anicetus, the bishop of that see, on the subject, and urged the tradition which he had received from the apostles of observing the 14th day. Anicetus, however, declined. About forty years later (197), the question was discussed in a very different spirit between Victor, bishop of Rome, and Polycrates, metropolitan of proconsular Asia [the territory of the Churches at Ephesus, Galatia, Antioch, Philadelphia, and all those mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3—the Churches established through the Apostle Paul]. That province was the only portion of Christendom which still adhered to the Jewish usage. Victor demanded that all should adopt the usage prevailing at Rome. This Polycrates firmly refused to agree to, and urged many weighty reasons to the contrary, whereupon Victor proceeded to excommunicate Polycrates and the Christians who continued the Eastern usage [that is, who continued in God's way, as Jesus, Peter, Paul, and all the early true Church had done]. He was, however, restrained [by other bishops] from actually proceeding to enforce the decree of excommunication . . . and the Asiatic churches retained their usage unmolested. We find the Jewish [true Christian Passover] usage from time to time reasserting itself after this, but it never prevailed to any large extent.
"A final settlement of the dispute was one among the other reasons which led Constantine to summon the council at Nicaea in 325. At that time the Syrians and Antiochenes were the solitary champions of the observance of the 14th day. The decision of the council was unanimous that Easter was to be kept on Sunday, and on the same Sunday throughout the world, and that 'none hereafter should follow the blindness of the Jews.' [That is, in plain language, the Roman Church now decreed that none should be allowed to follow the ways of Christ—of the true Christian Church!]
". . . The few who afterwards separated themselves from the unity of the church [the politically organized Church], and continued to keep the 14th day, were named 'Quartodecimani,' and the dispute itself is known as the 'Quartodeciman controversy.'"
Thus you see how the politically organized church at Rome grew to great size and power by adopting popular pagan practices and how she gradually stamped out the true teachings, doctrines, and practices of Jesus Christ and the true Church, so far as any collective practice is concerned.
True Christians Kept Passover
The New Testament reveals that Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament Church, both Jewish- and Gentile-born, observed God's Sabbaths, and God's Festivals—weekly and annually! Take your Bible and carefully read Acts 2:1; 12:3-4 (remember the word "Easter" here is a mistranslation in the King James Version—originally inspired "Passover," and so corrected in the Revised Standard Version); Acts 18:21; 20:6, 16; I Corinthians 16:8.
Eusebius, historian of the early centuries of the Church, speaks of the true Christians observing Passover on the 14th of Nisan, first month of the Sacred Calendar.
"A question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Savior's passover . . . the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed down to them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and the church of Rome, set forth in the following words the tradition which had come down to him:
"'We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord's coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles . . . and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord . . . and Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia . . . the bishop and martyr Sagaris . . . the blessed Papirius, or Melito. . . . All these observed the fourteenth day of the passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith"' (Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapters XXIII and XXIV).
But as the false, paganized church grew in size and political power, decrees were passed in the fourth century AD imposing the death sentence upon Christians found keeping God's Sabbath, or God's Festivals. Finally, in order to keep the true way of God, many Christians (composing the true Church) fled for their lives.
But another large portion of the true Church of God, failing to flee, yet remaining true to God's truth, paid with their lives in martyrdom (Revelation 2:13; 6:9; 13-15; 17:6; 18:24).
They loved obedience to God more than their lives! Do you?
But through all generations, through every century, though persecuted, scattered, unrecognized by the world, many true Christians have kept alive the true Church of God—the Church composed of those who have the Holy Spirit of God.
What God Did Command
The "communion," often called the "Lord's Supper," is actually the Passover—as the ordinance should more properly be called. On observing the Passover, as on every practice, Jude exhorts "that ye should contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints."
Now that we know the pagan origin of the Easter celebration, let's clear away the web of error that covers the truth about keeping the Passover, the memorial of Christ's death.
Let's examine the way Jesus observed this ordinance, because we can't be wrong if we follow His example. In Luke 22:14-20, we read, "And when the hour was come, he [Jesus] sat down. . . . And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
Notice, it was "when the hour was come," that Jesus introduced the unleavened bread and the wine. There was a definite time—a definite hour—when He held this ordinance as an example for us.
Notice, too, He commanded them to observe it—"This do"! And why? "In remembrance of me," said Jesus. He instituted this New Testament way of keeping the Passover, on that tragic night, the very eve of His death.
In Matthew's account, the Bible shows that this ordinance was at the very time of the Passover, "as they were eating" (Matthew 26:2, 26). Jesus knew that His time had come. He was our passover, sacrificed for us (I Corinthians 5:7).
The Passover had always been held on the eve of the 14th of God's first month, according to the Sacred or Jewish Calendar. It was the night of the final and last Passover supper that Jesus introduced these New Testament emblems—the unleavened bread and the wine—in place of the lamb that was always slain annually. (For a full explanation of the original Passover as God instituted it, see Mr. Armstrong's booklet Pagan Holidays or God's Holy Days—Which?)
Remember Jesus commanded: "This do in remembrance of me." Why? Because the Passover was commanded "forever."
The Passover was to be observed annually, along with the Days of Unleavened Bread. "Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season year to year" (Exodus 13:10). Jesus set us an example (I Peter 2:21), observing this ordinance at the same time once a year (Luke 2:42). Suppose the Israelites in Egypt had observed this ordinance at some other time than that set by God? They would not have been saved when the death angel passed by that night! God does things on time. He has given us an exact time for this ordinance. Jesus instituted the New Testament symbols "when the hour was come."
The Ordinance of Humility
In giving us their accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the taking of unleavened bread and wine. But John relates another part of this ordinance.
In the 13th chapter of John we notice that after the Passover supper was ended (verse 2), Jesus took a towel (verse 4)and began to wash His disciples' feet (verse 5).
"So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you" (John 13:12-15).
If any of you are wondering if this ordinance of humility is a command to you, then turn to Matthew 28:19, 20. Here Jesus said to these same disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded YOU." So they were to teach us to observe all things whatsoever Jesus commanded them!
Kept Once a Year in the Apostolic Church
In I Corinthians 5:7, 8, Paul tells the Corinthians: Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven . . . but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." And in the 11th chapter he gives the directions regarding this ordinance.
Some misunderstand verse 26 which says: "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup," by interpreting it "take it as often as you wish." But it does not say that!
It says "as often" as you observe it, "ye do show the Lord's death till he come." Even Jesus commanded, "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (verse 25). We do it in remembrance of the Lord's death—a memorial of His death. As you know, memorials are celebrated annually, once a year, on the anniversary of the events commemorated. So we observe the memorial of Christ's death annually. And just as often as each year comes around, we are to "show the Lord's death till he come," by keeping this memorial.
Christ instituted this ordinance on the eve of His death. It was the 14th of Abib, by God's Sacred Calendar, in the very beginning of the day. God starts days at sunset, not midnight. So, later that same day, after Jesus had gone out to Gethsemane, Judas Iscariot led the crowd to seize Jesus. Then He was crucified later that same day, in the daylight part of this same 14th of the month Abib.
By following the example of Jesus in observing this sacred ordinance at the same time He did—the very same time the Passover was forever commanded to be observed—we continue to remember His death, annually, on the eve of the crucifixion.
Some always question the meaning of Paul in verses 27-29 in I Corinthians 11. The apostle is not speaking about a Christian being worthy or unworthy to take it. It is speaking of the manner in which it is done. We take it unworthily if we take it wrongly, in the wrong manner. Once we learn the truth about its observance, and yet take it at any other time than when God says, then we take it unworthily. We take it unworthily if we do not accept the body and blood of Christ. So let's not take this most sacred ordinance to our condemnation, but take it worthily instead!
"Easter" a Mistranslation
Following the example of Jesus and the apostles, the early Church observed the Passover, and the Days of Unleavened Bread which immediately followed. Notice Acts 12:3. The Holy Spirit of God inspired these words: Then were the days of unleavened bread." But in the next verse we read of "Easter."
We have already seen that "Easter" was injected into the Church years after the time of Christ. Again, this word Easter" is a mistranslation. The original Greek word is pascha, meaning Passover. In every other place, exactly the same word is used in the original and always rendered Passover. Many other translations, including the New King James Version, faithfully render this verse in Acts as "intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people."
So this verse, instead of mentioning Easter, really proves that the Church, ten years after the death of Christ, was still observing Passover.
What Does "Break Bread" Mean?
There are some denominations that read Acts 20:7 as a proof that the "Lord's Supper" should be taken each Sunday morning! First notice that this was after the Days of Unleavened Bread (verse 6). Paul was preaching a farewell meeting, not on Sunday morning, but on Saturday night. It was after midnight (verse 7), that they broke bread because they were hungry. When they "had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day," Paul departed.
So this was just an ordinary meal!
The same expression "break bread" is found in Acts 27:34, 35. "Wherefore I pray you to take some meat . . . he took bread . . . and when he had broken it, he began to eat." Also Acts 2:46: "And breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness." This could not possibly have been the "Lord's Supper" or, more properly, Passover, because Paul says that if we take it to satisfy our hunger we take it to our condemnation (I Corinthians 11:34). In that day, everyone "broke bread" at ordinary meals, because they did not have the kind of bread that we slice. Jesus broke bread because it was at the Passover supper, while eating a meal.
We need to return to the faith once delivered. Let us humbly and obediently observe this sacred ordinance as we are commanded, at the scriptural time, after sunset, the 14th of Abib according to the Sacred Calendar. (If you haven't as yet read about the observance of this ordinance, see How Often Should We Partake of the Lord's Supper?)
Christians Kept the Passover
Jesus Christ kept the Passover. So did the Apostle John. And so did some Christians in Scotland even until the 7th century AD.
This information comes from no less an ecclesiastical authority than the church historian Bede. His Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation would astound many who have assumed that Christ and the early apostles all kept Easter.
He writes that "John, following the customs of the Law, used to begin the Feast of Easter [actually the Passover] on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, whether it fell on the Sabbath or on any other day" (III, 25).
The Apostle John was the author of five books of the New Testament and the "disciple whom Jesus loved." Yet he kept the Passover on the 14th day of the first month (Nisan) just as God commanded in the time of Moses. That is the plain statement of this early Catholic theologian!
But where did John's custom come from? From the very example of Jesus Christ! "Nor did our Lord, the Author and Giver of the Gospel, eat the old Passover or institute the Sacrament of the New Testament to be celebrated by the Church in memory of His Passion on . . . [any other day], but on the fourteenth" (Eccl. History, III, 25).
Bede thus reiterates what the Bible itself plainly tells us—that Christ partook of the old Passover and then substituted the New Testament symbols of the bread and wine on the 14th of the first month.
The custom of keeping the New Testament Passover, after the example of Christ and John, persisted among isolated groups for centuries. Bede tells us that some faithful were still keeping it in Scotland in the 7th century! (II, 19.)
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