Passover or Easter?

I've got a question for the average Joe & Jane Christian out there.  If God (YAHWEH) told you to do something, would you do it?  If he spoke to you in your shower, car or while praying, would you listen and obey?  What if he wrote you a letter giving you instructions to follow, would you obey to do His will?

What if He sent someone to give you His message or instruction, His Son, and asked that you heed His Words or better yet to simply emulate or "walk as He walked".  Would you listen and obey?  I'm sure your initial response is "of course I would".  No one wants to reject YAHWEH by being found disobedient.....IN SIN!

YAHWEH says in Deuteronomy 12:1  "These are the statutes and the judgements which you shall carefully observe in the land which YHWH, the Elohim of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.
2  "You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
3  "And you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods, and you shall obliterate their name from that place.
4  "You shall not act like this toward YHWH your Elohim      and

29  "When YHWH your Elohim cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,
30  beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?'
31  "You shall not behave thus toward YHWH your Elohim, for every abominable act which YHWH hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32  "Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

At this point Joe and Jane usually reply, "what's this have to do with me" or "that's the Old Testament...that's for the Jews".  REALLY?  (If you haven't already, go to www.beityeshua.com and read "Who is Israel?".)  Did you know that Easter or Ishtar has been celebrated every year since Babylon?  The people who began this idolatry go back almost to the beginning trying to establish themselves above YAHWEH.

How can that be?  Easter is all about jesus rising from the grave!  It all started the year after he died on the cross for my sins.  I know this because every year we give Easter baskets, hide eggs, get candy bunnies or fluffy stuffed rabbits and chicks, go to church and watch the fashion show.  It's a day that everybody shows up at church, even those heathen neighbors next door.  We've done this for years...since I was a little kid and my parents did it before that etc.

It is such a sweet time with fond memories of family gatherings and that delicious Easter ham for lunch.  God has to be smiling down on us for honoring His son and I feel so warm and tingly in my heart.  Does that about cover it?  Now that I look back, it is all so sad, disrespectful, disobedient and filled with self righteous pride.  Because I wasn't studying Father's Word, with the exception of "reading the bible through in one year" as set forth by the lawless preacher in order gain additional gold stars with the big man upstairs, THAT WAS ALL SIN!!!

In the Scriptures quoted above, we are instructed by YAHWEH not to worship Him the same way the pagans worship their gods.  Would you agree with that?  He even mentions worshiping "under every green tree".  Why were people kneeling under green trees back then?  (We'll answer that in a few months.)  Let's look how this all started.  By the way, most preachers know how Lent, Easter and Christmas started but refuse to tell the congregations the "TRUTH" because it "changes too much".  (Especially their wallets.)

Easter was one of Rome's most valuable pagan observances.  The holiday was transplanted from Babylon, in pretence of remembering Messiah's resurrection, when in reality it's a festival to a Chaldean goddess.  The word "Easter" is a transliteration of "Ishtar," the Babylonian goddess of fertility.  That's why to this day the bunnies and eggs are involved in the celebration.  She is known by many names and has even been called "Eve" or the "Queen of Heaven".  (See "What's in a Name" from last month.)  How did that end up in Scripture?

Let's look at Lent.  Tammuz was born during the winter solstice, which is December 21 to 22 and the shortest day of the year.  Tammuz is known as the sun-god and god of vegetation in which the cross symbol has been used for years to honor him.  Tammuz was killed at age 40 by a wild boar.  As a result of his death, Ishtar established 40 days (one day for each year he lived) of mourning and rejoicing for Tammuz.  It is from this pagan tradition that the 40 day long Christian season of Lent is derived.

Does Scripture actually record this?  In Ezekiel 8:13  And He said to me, "Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing."
14  Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of YHWH'S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15  And He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these."
16  Then He brought me into the inner court of YHWH'S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of YHWH, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of YHWH and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.
17  And He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have filled the land with violence and provoked Me repeatedly? For behold, they are putting the twig to their nose.

These people were actually by the temple mixing the worship of Tammuz with that of YHWH.  The men facing east were probably worshiping the sunrise while basically thumbing their noses at YHWH.  How do we do this today?  Some denominations show up at their respective churches on Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) to have the symbol of Tammuz inscribed on their foreheads as a badge of honor to wear all day long.  How low have we sunk?  Having the symbol of a pagan god proudly worn on one's body.  I would say that is the equivalent to thumbing your nose at YHWH.

Now after the 40 days of weeping and mourning are complete the celebration of Ishtar begins with the celebration of the resurrection of Tammuz through the greening of the vegetation and the warmth of spring.  A wild boar was killed to avenge the death of Tammuz then eaten by the people, after that the orgies began to celebrate Ishtar the goddess of fertility.  Child sacrifices were not uncommon during these debaucheries, but most of those happened nine months later at the other pagan feast.  That was probably the first form of abortion, the sacrifice to Molech (Tammuz or sun-god) of any children conceived during those orgies then killed at what we call Christmas.

Joe and Jane Christian contend at this point that is not what they celebrate, but it is the same old pagan traditions repackaged for a more sophisticated audience.  Ecclesiastes says it best in Chapter 1, verse 9  That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.

In the Book of Mark, Yeshua said in Chapter 7, verse  6  And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
7  'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'
8  "Neglecting the commandment of Elohim, you hold to the tradition of men."
9  He was also saying to them, "You nicely set aside the commandment of Elohim in order to keep your tradition.

This has been true since the beginning of time.  Men in their pride, stubbornness and/or ignorance have depended on so called "godly" men for their guidance rather than Scripture, resulting in lawless behavior being held up as righteousness.  I've heard this example from Patrick McGuire several times over past few years and it fits really well.

A parent upon leaving the house tells the children, "while I'm gone, finish your homework, clean up your rooms and feed the dog".  A few hours later the parent returns home and finds out the homework is not done, the kids bedrooms are a mess and the dog is starving.  When the parent confronts the children about their disobedience, the children reply, "we know we didn't do what you told us, but look at this pretty picture we drew you, we love you".

As a parent, are you happy with the way the children obeyed?  Not a chance!  Well neither is YAHWEH!  Yeshua said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.  That is John 14:15, however in 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him."
Also in John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
10  "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

That is exactly how YHWH is treated by the church.  He is a rosey cheeked fat man with a white beard sitting on a cloud wearing a red suit smiling down on us as we live this grace shrouded, sin filled, self righteous life on earth.  It doesn't matter what He instructs us to do, "God is love" regardless of how lawless we act, because we know in our heart right from wrong.  We are much more sophisticated than those Jews of the Old Testament, they were stupid and we have jesus, therefore we can behave anyway we wish as long as we have that good warm churchy feeling in our heart.

Can that line of thought lead to a false sense of security?  Is it possible that it is encouraged by another spirit?  We our taught from our youth that the church knows best.  The church determines what holidays to keep and we continue to pass this lawless behavior from generation to generation.  Did YAHWEH intend for us to abandon Scripture to keep church doctrine?  NEVER!  Who are you going answer to on Judgement Day?  YAHWEH or your pastor?  Think about it.

At this time, I would ask that you go to this site and read a short synopsis on the origin of Easter, written by David J. Meyer of Last Trumpet Ministries.  He did an excellent job and is quite informative.  You can also find information about the origins of Easter in most encyclopedias.  The Catholic Encyclopedia is very eye opening.  After you read this we'll continue.  http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract1.html

As you can see, Easter is a filthy pagan ritual, with NO basis is Scripture.  When you celebrate this you are committing SIN AGAINST YAHWEH!!!  There is no gray area here, no whitewashing the way your lawless preacher portrays this abomination.  I know this is a harsh statement, we are supposed to love our brother.  Well that is what I'm doing by pointing this out.  Who's word are you going to take?  Mine...NO!  Your preacher......NO!  Scripture ONLY!!!

There are actually people out there that believe you can do both at the same time.  Some think they can cover ALL the bases by doing both holidays every year.  Besides it makes you feel really good.  Let's see what Scripture has to say about celebrating YAHWEH"S feast days and pagan holidays.  In 1Corinthians 10:14  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15  I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
16  Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Messiah? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Messiah?
17  Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
18  Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
19  What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
20  No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to Elohim; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
21  You cannot drink the cup of the Master and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Master and the table of demons.
22  Or do we provoke the Master to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

This is true of not only Lent and Easter, but also Christmas.  When you celebrate these pagan holidays, they are ALWAYS celebrated with the name of jesus attached.  Try to think about it logically, without any syrupy emotion, all of this paganism is tied neatly together in a bundle and handed to you by your church as a gift from God every year and because you don't study Scripture using Torah as your foundation, you are misled and continue to remain in sin.  As a result, you thumb your nose almost continuously at Elohim!

Do you think the REAL Messiah would have His Name associated with these pagan holidays?  Simply celebrating these days are breach of His Father's Instructions.  So  would YAHWEH condone linking His Son, His Instruction (Torah) made flesh to any sinful pagan day?  Not a chance!  For those who know the truth would never associate the Name of His Son, our Salvation (Yeshua) for any holiday the church holds near and dear.  Messiah would never break His Father's Commandment and we are to walk, just as He walked.

The church boldly touts the keeping of the Ten Commandments (except for that pesky 4th one and a few others).  Great!  How about this one?  YAHWEH Said in Exodus 20:3  "You shall have no other gods before Me.
4  "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5  "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, YHWH your Elohim, am a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6  but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Well I submit to you that in keeping these pagan holidays, you are elevating other gods above YAHWEH.  All of these pagan holidays have their own symbols and little idols that are eagerly taught and passed down to our children and grandchildren and become recognizable to them at very early ages.  As a result, we have huge family gatherings and traditions that take over our lives.  Then warm memories develop over the years and this family tradition we have is so wonderful, we just can't see what is wrong with it.  Please study your Scripture, you are SINNING and it continues to be passed down from generation to generation.  Do you get the picture?

Numbers 14:18  'YHWH is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.'

I have actually had people tell me that they could never give up their Christmas tree.  Unbelievable!  If they only knew what it symbolizes, they would only NOT have it in their house....they wouldn't even touch it!  The other thing I hear a lot is, "Well, Easter and Christmas aren't big sins".  REALLY!  WHAT THE HELL DO YOU CALL IDOLATRY?!  The next thing you know, adultery will be okay too.

In 2 John 1, we are told in verse 6  And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.
7  For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Yeshua Messiah as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8  Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.
9  Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Messiah, does not have Elohim; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.
10  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;
11  for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

These pagan holidays do have a "spirit" of their own, but they are NOT the spirit of YAHWEH.  Ezekiel tells us what the spirit of YAHWEH is and how to walk in it in Chapter 36:27  "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

What is he saying here?  You are walking in His spirit if you are obedient to His Word, which is Torah.  Paul then tells us in Galatians 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.  That is pretty self explanatory.

How about Romans 8:14  For all who are being led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are sons of Elohim.  Scripture is very plain on this subject, but people, and I mean good, honest, hard working people who are sincere and believe they are doing the right things by attending Sun-day worship and celebrating these abominable holidays, are taking their respective denominational doctrines to heart on these subjects, all the while neglecting Scripture, leading their families down a path of sin and lawlessness against YAHWEH.  That is NOT how we gain "grace" with YAHWEH.  We attain His grace only through repentance (turning AWAY from sin) and through obedience to His Torah.

I have another question.  Are the Hindus or the Muslims sincere?  How about the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses or those who pray to Budha, are they sincere?  I'm sure the typical Christian would say, "Yes, they are sincerely wrong!"  Why?  They are, for the most part, honest, hard working people who believe in their hearts their holy days are right.  They just call God by a different name, right?

They are wrong!  They also neglect the Torah of YAHWEH and as a result rely on their tradition instead of Scripture and do abominable acts before Elohim.

Let me bring it a little closer to home for you King James lovers out there.  In Acts 12:4 the word Easter has been substituted for the Greek word pascha:G3957 and Hebrew word pecach:H6453, which only has one meaning....Passover.  Why was this done?  Could it be to fool the masses so they won't observe those Jewish feast days?  The verse is as follows in the King James, Acts 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

At least the New American Standard is a little more honest, Acts 12:4  And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.

This is the point you have to determine the facts for yourself.  Am I being lawless out of foolish pride or ignorance?  It's not too late to repent and truly "Walk in the Spirit".

That doesn't mean walking some aisle somewhere spilling your guts to some lawless preacher or priest.  Simply ask YAHWEH to forgive you and walk as Yeshua walked.

This will require that you gather yourself and admit first to your children that you were mistaken about these pagan holidays, then the REALLY tough part.... the rest of the family and close friends.  I will tell you now that some take it well, some rebel and the rest run off or shy away from you because they don't have the tools to combat the TRUTH of Scripture.  They are the really sad ones.

I remember when Judy and I realized the truth in the Word.  We were dreading explaining to our sons there would be no celebration of Christmas.  I was ready for the wailing and gnashing of teeth, but YAHWEH must have prepared their hearts, because to our surprise they were okay with it and eager to learn Torah.  That was one of the moments I will always be thankful to YAHWEH for.

The other dread was trying to explain to our parents.  My mother had always made Easter and Christmas a loving, warm, memorable time.  The holidays were always picture perfect from my earliest childhood memory and I know this was true for Judy too.  Judy and I kept telling ourselves as we prepared to break the news to our parents, "we are suppose to honor our father and mother", but you can't break Torah to do it.

The day came we told my parents, my mother smiled and asked a few questions, but I could tell she was in shock and I felt bad for that.  However, five years later and my parents study Torah with us and our memories now are just as sweet, we just choose now to please YAHWEH rather than men.

Again Paul tells us in Romans 6:1  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?
2  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
3  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Messiah Yeshua have been baptized into His death?
4  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  That walk is "walking in the spirit of YAHWEH".

It says in Hosea 4:6  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also will forget your children.

Why should we celebrate Passover?  It's a commandment!  Leviticus 23:1 YHWH spoke again to Moses, saying,
2  "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'YHWH'S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations-- My appointed times are these:

Verse 5  'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the YHWH'S Passover.

YAHWEH has seven appointed Feasts, they are His appointments with us as believers.  The Sabbath is the first and the church refuses to adhere to this 4th Commandment, using man's convoluted logic that "we celebrate the day jesus arose".  Show me in Scripture where it says to forget the Sabbath, because of Easter.  Remember above who was resurrected on Easter and it wasn't Yeshua and Scripture in NO WAY condones this behavior.

The second appointed Feast of YAHWEH is Passover.  Scripture spells it out clearly when Passover is and the day after is the third, which is the Feast of Unleaven Bread.  Verse 6  'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to YHWH; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
7  'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.
8  'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to YHWH. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"

It's usually at this point Joe and Jane Christian ask the ridiculous question, "Do you do sacrifices"?  The answer is, NO!  That would be against Torah and you would know that if you studied Scripture.  Sacrifices can only be done it the place YAHWEH directs and no place on earth is "set apart" for that at this time.  But after Yeshua returns....watch and see what happens or study Scripture and know ahead of time.

By the Scripture above we see that we celebrate Passover, the next day is a high Sabbath (no work) because of the Feast of Unleaven Bread, which lasts seven days.  There is to be no yeast in your house during that week, because yeast represents sin, then on the last day is another high Sabbath (no work).  During that week, on the first day, after the regular Sabbath Day, after Passover is the celebration of First Fruits.  It is always on  the first day of the week (Sunday).

So how important are these Feast Days to YAHWEH.  Exodus 12:14  'Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to YHWH; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.
15  'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16  'And on the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17  'You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
18  'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19  'Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20  'You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.'"
Did you notice that it is a permanent ordinance and is to be observed whether you are a native or an alien.  How long is permanent?  Hint...forever!  Who are the native and alien?  Again, read "Who Is Israel" at www.beityeshua.com.

Also, in Exodus 13:6  "For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to YHWH.
7  "Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.

  This is a physical reminder to us to get sin out of our life.  Not only do we rid our homes of leaven, but we are reminded to keep leaven out of our diet for a week in addition to eating kasrut (Scripturally kosher).  This is my favorite holiday now.  It is a true blessing.

False teachers in the church try to cast Paul as a proponent of living one's life without the Torah (law).  For some reason, Paul and jesus felt the need to make changes to the imperfect Torah of YAHWEH.  They came to correct the mistakes of Elohim our Creator.  So the church in essence is saying, "God couldn't get it quite right, so these two men came to fix His errors".  That doesn't even make sense.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  If that were true, we have bigger problems than any of us can imagine.

Paul taught obedience to Torah without exception once he was chosen by YAHWEH to spread the "good news" of the resurrection.  He taught on the Sabbath to both Jews and Gentiles.  He always kept the Feast Days, even after the death and resurrection of Messiah.  Why would YAHWEH choose Paul if he knew he was going to contradict His Instructions?  If you are not learning and keeping Torah and discounting the testimony of Yeshua Messiah you are NOT in the Word of YAHWEH and you are NOT understanding Scripture.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians to celebrate the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. 5:8  Let us therefore celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9  I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people;
10  I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.
11  But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one.

It seems the same problems of Paul's day are the same problems we face today.  People talkin' the talk, but not walkin' the walk.  Why would Paul remind us of this Commandment?  Yeshua had already been crucified and resurrected.  Wasn't all of the Scriptural ceremony done away with?

Paul even goes so far as to remind the assembly in Galatia about the practice of idolatry.  Galatians 5:19  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,
21  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

Idolatry hasn't changed since Paul's time, it's just gotten fuzzier, cuter and a lot more palatable and the church embraces it with arms wide open.  If you think there is a reward for this behavior, note the last of verse 21.  Blame Paul, those aren't my words.

Again Paul reminds us to walk as he and Messiah walked, keeping Scriptural traditions YAHWEH gave us, NOT man's pathetic pagan holidays.  1 Corinthians 11:1  Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Messiah.
2  Now I praise you because you remember me in everything, and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.  I'm sure he was praising them for obedience, no celebration of Tammuz and Ishtar here.

All four gospels tell of the Passover celebrated by Yeshua and the disciples.  If things weren't confused enough already the church fathers start their own doctrinal "communion" or "the lord's supper", again ignoring the Commandment of YAHWEH.  The Lord's Supper of Scripture is Passover, not some weekly or bi-monthly cracker and grape juice party.  That demeans YAHWEH and the sacrifice of Yeshua.  Scripture plainly explains that Yeshua was having the disciples prepare for Passover.

Luke 22:8  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it."
9  And they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare it?"
10  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.
11  "And you shall say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'
12  "And he will show you a large, furnished, upper room; prepare it there."
13  And they departed and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
14  And when the hour had come He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.
15  And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
16  for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of Elohim."
17  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves;
18  for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of Elohim comes."
19  And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
20  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

Yeshua was celebrating Passover just as was commanded by the Father in Torah and we are to walk just as Yeshua walked.  It's pretty simple math, 2+2 does equal 4 in Scripture, always.  PRAISE YAHWEH!

1 Corinthians 11:23  For I received from the Master that which I also delivered to you, that the Master Yeshua in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24  and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
25  In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
26  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Master's death until He comes.
27  Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Master.
Now take your churchy hat off for a minute and reflect on these verses.  This is Passover being referred to here, not the church's version of the Lord's Supper.  How often?  Every Passover as commanded in Scripture.  Could one meaning of "unworthy manner" be the lackadaisical way this ordinance has been adopted by the church through doctrinal misinterpretation?  Isn't it easier to obey YAHWEH and repent from the traditions of men?  I think so.

Yeshua was killed in the ninth hour (about 3:00p.m.), which is when the Passover lamb is killed on Preparation Day.  Mark tells us in 15:33 And when the sixth hour had come, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34  And at the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, "ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" which is translated, "MY EL, MY EL, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"
35  And when some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, "Behold, He is calling for Elijah."
36  And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down."
37  And Yeshua uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last.

And for all of you who think Yeshua was crucified on a cross (symbol of Tammuz), study your Scripture.  Deuteronomy 21:23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of Elohim), so that you do not defile your land which YHWH your Elohim gives you as an inheritance.  And Paul tells us that Yeshua was crucified on a tree, which is per Torah above.  Galatians 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of Torah, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"--  This is from the Hebrew word 'ets:H6086, which means tree or stake.  The crucifixion of Yeshua on a tree was in keeping with Torah.  Even to the death He was obedient to the Father.  It is deceitful to even suggest Yeshua came to destroy the Torah.  Matthew 5:17  "Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
18  "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from Torah, until all is accomplished.
19  "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

On the first Sunday after Passover is the Feast of First Fruits.  If you look at the calendar through the years Easter is calculated in such a way as to cause it to fall as far away from Passover as possible.  Another way the church fathers wanted to stay away from those nasty believers, both Jew and Gentile who were being obedient.

Oddly enough, this year they fall on the same day.  That doesn't mean it's okay to celebrate the pagan holiday though.  Remember above where Scripture stated you can't dine at the Master's table and the table of demons.  So save your money on that Easter dress and attend Passover and Unleaven Bread with a repentant heart and celebrate First Fruits because First Fruits is now the celebration of Messiah's resurrection, as Paul tells us, He is the first born of the resurrection.  Colossians 1:18  He is also head of the body, the assembly; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

One more side note.  Did a Friday crucifixion ever make sense to you?  How could Messiah stay in the ground three nights?  Messiah was crucified on a Thursday, which was Passover.  They had to hurry to get Him down from the tree by sunset because Friday was a High Sabbath, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleaven Bread.  They didn't even have time to anoint His body because they didn't want to violate the Sabbath.

The following day, Saturday was the weekly Sabbath and no work could be done, which is why the women were headed to tomb on Sunday morning and He wasn't there.  HE IS RISEN!!!  Take note that He rested on the Sabbath's and arose to go about Father's business on Sunday.  He didn't go to church, he worked.  I'm still waiting to see the verse where YAHWEH changed the Sabbath.  I know Paul and Yeshua didn't rewrite Scripture.

Let's wrap this up with a little more Scripture.  I think this sums up the pagan activities and influences within the church.  Deuteronomy 13:1  "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2  and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,'
3  you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for YHWH your Elohim is testing you to find out if you love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul.
4  "You shall follow YHWH your Elohim and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
5  "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against YHWH your Elohim who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which YHWH your Elohim commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.

YAHWEH warns us NOT to go after other gods, but we do by celebrating Ishtar and the birth and resurrection of Tammuz.  It even says YAHWEH allows these things to happen in order to test you.  Are you passing that test?  And once again, we are told to follow the Commandments and walk the way He has instructed us to walk.  Sounds like a broken record doesn't it?  I THINK HE'S SERIOUS!

There will be three reactions to this article, Passover vs. Easter.  First, a minority who strive to walk as Yeshua walked and keep the Torah of YAHWEH will love it and pass it to friends and family in hopes of planting a seed.

The second group will be a minority also.  But something said here will ring true and cause them to want to look at Scripture a little closer, wanting to test with Scripture what I have told you.  Please do it!  Email me with any questions.  Understand, there are those out there that want to keep you from the truth, because it is profitable for them.  Also, this group may want to experience a Passover or better yet attend the verse by verse Scripture study we have on Wednesday night and Sabbath eve. (Friday night)

For the first two groups I remind you that Yeshua says in Matthew 7:13  "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.
14  "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
15  "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16  "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
17  "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18  "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19  "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Your fruits are your obedience to Torah after accepting the testimony of Yeshua Messiah.

The third group, I'm sad to say, are the majority.  They will delete this without so much as a second thought and hell will freeze over before they pass it on to someone else.  They will have not one comment or question, because their pride and prejudice against Torah is so great.  I have one more thing to say to this group.  As you pray before carving into that delicious Easter ham, remember eating swine's flesh IS an abomination before YAHWEH.  How could He possibly bless a meal that is a sin to eat or even touch!  That is like praying for Him to bless you before committing adultery or having a homosexual encounter. 

Proverbs 28:9  He who turns away his ear from listening to Torah, Even his prayer is an abomination.

Ecclesiastes 12:13  The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear Elohim and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

Sorry this was even longer than last time, but it was written in hopes of opening up the eyes of the deceived.  Thanks again to Patrick, Dennis, Diane, Judy and Christopher for your help.

May YAHWEH bless and keep you and yours!