Yeshua, our Savior, even under any other name or assigned Christian made up title such as the Catholic title of “Christ” or the KJV “Jesus” was never in Christmas or Easter, so why worry about it or try to shove him and his Holy Fall Feast of Tabernacles birth [not December 25th] into a sungod, heathen holiday or tie him and His Spring Resurrection to a bare breasted sungoddess spring festival? It makes no sense at all and it is nonsense for Christians to mix the Holy things of YHWH God with pagan things dedicated to Satan’s kingdom and then to celebrate the mixture as ‘harmless’ or Christianized. Celebrate the secular midwinter solstice holiday and Easter if you wish, but do not tie them to Almighty God or to Yeshua/Jesus. That is wrong and it denigrates the Bible, God’s Word. Do not say, “That is not what it means to me”. It does not matter to Yeshua or YHWH God what it means to you if you use that tired excuse for disobedience to the Word of God. Your worldview must line up with scripture if you are to follow the Savior at all. “This is the Way, walk ye in it”, says the Almighty. See my article on Yeshua/Jesus real birthday at the Feast of Tabernacles on my WordPress website.
Deuteronomy 12:28-32 says:
“Shomer [Obey] and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you le-olam-va-ed [forever], when you do that which is tov [good] and right in the sight of Yahweh your Elohim. When Yahweh your Elohim shall cut off the nations from before you, that you are going to possess, and you dispossess them, and dwell in their land; Guard yourself that you are not ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and that you inquire not after their elohim, saying, how did these nations serve their elohim? Even so will I do too. You shall not do so to Yahweh your Elohim: for every abomination to Yahweh, that He hates, have they done to their elohim; for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their [prosperity] elohim. Whatever I am commanding you, shomer [take care] to do it: you shall not add to it, nor take away from it [the Word].”
First of all, this examination of the Biblical Hebraic Roots of Christianity and its applicability to today’s Church systems is not an attack on either true Christianity or Christians in this 21st Century of the “Christian era”, but it is a course correction out of the shipwrecking rocks and shoals of error and illusions. Those who would take offense without consideration of the teachings given here should not fall into the same snare that Judah fell into when confronted with Jeremiahs proclaiming what YHWH told him to say to the people chosen by Yahweh to bear His Name. That snare which is called by Yahweh, “Lashan Hara” or the evil tongue; speaking slander and vilification against the messenger rather than considering the message that YHWH wanted the Prophet to convey to them.
This is an examination of the Pagan, Roman Catholic Gregorian Calendar used universally by Protestant Christianity today in place of Yahweh’s Calendar from the Bible. Some may consider that I am being cruel to fellow believers in Jesus/Yeshua, but I am really not writing this from any animosity whatsoever. I, exhorting as a Bar-Naba, hate lies and deception. I desire above all else to free my brothers and sisters from the “traditions of men, which put the things of the Almighty God to naught” in the minds of his children. The Scripture is true in its entirety and provides our only light. The lies of the clerics provide only darkness and have always done so.
2 Kefa (Peter), chapter 3:
“And consider the long patience of our Master as salvation; even as our beloved brother Sha’ul (Paul) also according to the chochmah (wisdom) given to him has written to you; As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which some things are hard tounderstand, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other Keetvay HaKodesh (Holy Scriptures), to their own destruction (and their students confusion). You then, beloved ones, seeing you know these things beforehand (from your youth), beware lest you also, being led away with the delusion of Torah-less-ness (lawlessness), fall from your ownsteadfastness. But grow in favor and in the da’at (grace) of our Master and Savior Yeshua ha Moshiach. To Him be tifereth (glory) both now and le-olam-va-ed (forever). Omein.”
In my reading and studying of the Hebrew Scriptures, I have yet to find one place that requires us to submit to any authority of those that:
1) Add to, delete from or change the teachings of Yahweh’s written Torah and:
2) Refer to the Law given to Moshe (Moses), not as an authoritative code of instruction and teaching of believers; but as a mere “source of law” for the purpose of deriving and enacting new laws such as Ecclesiastical or Rabbinical Oral Enactments, Takanot and Ma’asim.
Furthermore, I have yet to find one written Scriptural source (written Torah/Tanach and the written Gospels/Renewed Covenant) that says that we can only receive the Spirit of Elohim (Holy Spirit) on condition that we live according to the exacting standards of Pharisaic or Denominational Takanot and Geserot (decrees, regulations, doctrines and prohibitions added to Moses written words) and Ma’asim (Precedents of the Rabbis and Church Denominations).
The Pagan Calendar in use on the Roman Catholic continent of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea lands during the “Dark Ages” was called the Julian calendar and was created by that famous pagan, sun worshiping Roman dictator, Julius Caesar; a devotee of Sol Invicta Mithras and also Jupiter, the Roman Solar deities. This calendar received the blessings of all the Roman Catholic Popes and their pagan church until it was mathematically “corrected” during the reign of Pope Gregory in 1585. The changes were mathematical and minimal in scope and encompassed the additional “changing of days and seasons” in defiance of scripture. The Pagan prosperity sungod names that Julius Caesar gave to days, weeks and months remained intact by Pope Gregory and will be discussed later in this article. These calendars worked well for the Anti-Israel and Anti-nomian, sun worshiping Babylonian Papal system, which had successfully divorced the Christian church from its Hebrew roots and created a new man made religion called Catholicism [Universal, they hoped]. This religion followed Babylon and is correctly named, “The Second Babylon”. Read Alexander Hyslop’s book of the same name, published in the 1850’s. It is excellent and correctly describes Christianity’s descent into Entropy and semi-paganism.
Yahweh God gave Moses in the Torah books, a perfect, Heavenly based calendar spelled out in detail in the Holy Torah as the eternal pattern written with the finger of Yahweh Elohim on Mount Horev; the true mountain of the Testimony. The New Year began at the new moon of the month of Aviv and the spring “Aviv Barley” in Israel before the spring equinox and was delineated in minute detail with many examples throughout Scripture. You, if you do not understand the Calendar of YHWH God, you will also never understand the Bible, and will never understand Bible Prophecy or the Gospel correctly. The Almighty does not like, nor does he comply with Pagan Calendars; but only his own Holy Calendar that began at Creation in Genesis 1:1!
Exodus 12: 2: “This month [Aviv] shall be for you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year for you.”
For 3500 plus years or so after the Holy Mountain of YHWH God experience, the true descendants of Avraham, called Israel and not “Jews”, began their scriptural year at the new moon in accordance with scripture, starting at the spring Month of Aviv that is ordained by Yahweh God and then followed it by the gr
The true descendants of the two houses of Israel still obey these Holy Commands and the Holy types and patterns leading unto Yeshua, our Messiah, that they represent. starting at the spring Month of Aviv that is ordained by Yahweh God and then followed it by the great feast of Pesach [Passover] on the 14th of Aviv as indicated in Leviticus chapter 23, which is the listing of Yahweh’s annual, Memorial times and seasons. It is worth noting here that these are Yahweh’s eternal feasts; and not “Jewish” feasts from Judaism’s modern calculated Calendar of the 2nd Century CE. They are not even the “times and seasons of Moses law”, but they are Yahweh God’s Holy, everlasting Commandments ordained within the scope of HIS Eternal CALENDAR!
Papal, Catholic, pagan Rome adopted the pagan sungod calendar of her predecessor and mentor, Caesar’s Imperial Rome. Julius Caesar got his calendar from the pagan religions of both the Eastern and Western sun worshiping religions of his ancestors. Roman Catholicism viciously attacked all who kept the Scriptural calendar and slaughtered millions of Jews and true Christians who followed Yahweh’s ancient ways. She insisted on controlling the calendar and ordered all to adopt her corrupt computations. The results were predictable. By the year 1582 the Julian calendar was off by 11 days and began to be embarrassing to the “fisherman, lord god, the pope”. Pope Gregory XIII then called on his own church version of the “Gestapo”, the Jesuits for a fix. They then provided a Jesuit, Christopher Clavius, S.J, who became the architect of the Gregorian calendar! This heathen was a German Jesuit mathematician and “pseudo astronomer” and became the main engine of the modern Gregorian calendar used by Christianity today. With this Jesuit calendar, came also the Jesuit astronomy or, as is known today, the “heliocentric universe”. With his introduction of the new Catholic calendar, Pope Gregory XIII demonstrated to the world that the changing of “times and seasons” is centered in Rome, and not on Scripture and certainly not centered on the Holy One of Israel. This was an interesting “trick” and was probably related to countering the Protestant reformation, which was going on in Europe at the time. The protestors failed to protest or counter this change and the Christian Church remains ignorant of it to this present day! As most of the other calendars in the world attest, the Popes usually adjust the calendar to the particular god of each nation/religion. Pope Gregory has clearly demonstrated that his god was and is the Catholic sungod in the sky, and it is not centered on Yeshua, the Son of Yahweh, and Savior of mankind.
The idea that Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December because this was the date of an already existing festival of Sol Invictus Mithra was expressed in an annotation to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: “It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnized on that day.”
The Gregorian calendar was accepted in England and her colonies by an act of Parliament in 1752! Russia would not accept this Roman calendar until the Communist revolution in the early 20th century.
Protestants in early America used to recognize that Solar phenomena have no particular bearing on standard Christian practice, but now have fallen to the point that, on Easter morning [a pagan goddess, Ishtar/Semiramis, festival]; they go to the cemetery and face the rising sun in worship, not recognizing that they are following the ancient heathen worship of Semiramis/Mary, the “queen of heaven”! It is easy to deceive the unlearned or mistaught as Yahweh showed Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
The Gregorian calendar is named for an infamous persecutor and killer of Protestant Christians and Jews, most notably, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572; Pope Gregory XIII.
The Holy One of Israel gave a name ONLY to the 7th day of the week, which He called Shabbat [Sabbath]; the only day of the seven-day week that He designated as a Holy day of rest. The other 6 days, He numbered 1 through 6, [Exodus 20:11, Deuteronomy 5:12-14; etc]. He also designated as His Appointed Times, the seven Annual Feasts of YHWH and no other feast, to be observed in perpetuity by all of his people, Israel and including those grafted into Israel. Read Romans 9, 10 and 11 to get a glimmer of how you are seen by Yeshua.
Rebellious pagan Men gave names to all 7 days of the week and the months of the year, which they named after PAGAN deities. The deities of the week are symbols equivalent to the sun, moon and 5 major planets. The months of the year are named after the PAGAN Sungods of Rome, Greece, Ireland, Scandinavia and other European Nations, including Germany. Roman numbers designates some months for the months 7,8,9 and 10, September, October, November and December.
The word PAGAN [a Gentile] means a heathen; one who is not a Hebrew, Nazarene or even a true Christian. One cannot be “A Gentile saved by faith” This is FALSE and ignorant at best! You can only be one or the other, and you cannot be both, that is; you are a FORMER Gentile.
The terms Pagan, Gentile and heathenspecifically refer to one or all of the ancient polytheistic peoples, especially the Greeks, Romans and the Muslim descendants of Edom in particular. Heathen is applicable to all idolaters and worshipers of false, twisted gods.
The Biblical day always begins at sunset as defined at creation in Genesis, while the Gregorian Catholic day begins at midnight, which figures because that hour is called in history as the “witching hour”. Go figure!
The following descriptives contain some mind-blowing facts that you never knew before and that may be damaging to your former complacency on these matters!
Now we will define each day of the week:
1] Day 1 is called as such by Yahweh. It is called by pagans as SUN-DAY; so named for the “day of the venerable sun”. The sungod, “Sol Invicta” is called Nimrod, Tammuz, Ra, Osiris, Helios, Apollo, Ogmios, Mithra, Zeus, Jupiter, St. Elias and many more, but you get the idea. Christians worship on this sun-day, thus obeying the edict of the first Pope, Emperor Constantine Ist, given in 321 C.E., which changed the scriptural Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day of the week, SUBDAY. No Scripture exists requiring this change, but Scripture is twisted unmercifully to try to justify this pagan practice. The Sunday symbol is the solar disc or the solar disc in the center of the cross of Mithra, which is the symbol of the Roman Legions sungod, Mithras. Rome murdered millions of true, Messianic believers and Jews on this Roman sungod cross. The Medieval horizontal “Rack” of the Catholic Inquisition was a variation on the Cross of Crucifixion adopted by Rome to kill freedom lovers and Jews. Roman Catholicism, along with Islam, together, is the longest-lived murder cults on planet Earth!
2] Day2 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it MON-DAY in honor of the Moon goddess, personified as Selene, Semiramis, Luna and Mani among others. The symbol is the crescent Moon. Islam worships this god as Allah, the Moongod of Islam and the Curse [Strongs H#421-423] of everyone else.
3] Day 3 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it TUES-DAY in honor of the demonic force [the Force] of power, energy and endurance personified as Ares, Tiwas, Tiw, Tuisco and Tyr among others. The symbol of this wargod is the red planet Mars.
4] Day 4 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it WEDNES-DAY in honor of the demonic spirit of Gnostic knowledge and wisdom, personified as Woden, Odin and Hermes. The symbol of this false oracle is the planet Mercury.
5] Day 5 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it THURS-DAY in honor of the idol of Thunder, personified as Thunor [Thor]. Other names for him are Zeus, Taranis, Perun, Perkunis and St. Olaf among others. The symbol of this sungod is the planet Jupiter.
6] Day 6 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it FRI-DAY worshiping the goddess of sexual love, Frigga. The symbol is Venus. Muslims worship this day as their sabbath but do not exhibit love as westerners know it, but only love death which is dedicated to their idol, Allah; which means “the CURSE” in Hebrew, [Strongs concordance #H421-423].
7] THE Holy and Eternal 7th Day SABBATH is called by YHWH God the SHABBAT, and it is called by men as Saturday, the day of Saturnalia after the worship of the sungod Saturn and it is designated by pig/pork eating as worship, pagan feasting on forbidden garbage eating animal foods and the committing of sexual sins, including Homosexuality, bisexuality, animal sex, pedophilia, rape and the worship of Nimrods penis in all of its pagan forms. Obelisques are towers representing Nimrods erect, uncircumcised penis, including the one centered in Washington, DC. It is dedicated to George Washington, a 33rd Degree Mason and worshiper of the Masonic Temple’s many sungod’s. Groves, Wiccan Circles, prostitute temples worldwide, pornography, Homosexual baths, massage parlors, gentlemen’s clubs, drinking and drugs are but a few of the rotten fruits of this pagan and rebellious substitute day. Christians shop, work, drink, eat Biblically forbidden foods and watch pagan games and Hollywood “R” rated entertainments on YHWH God’s Holy Day. They condemn themselves to the lake of fire for doing such defiant abominations.
The months of the pagan year in the Gregorian calendar; when they are set against the Scriptural months, in this list beginning roughly with the Bibles first month of AVIV in the spring; read as follows with their deities defined:
4] April = Aphrodite. A pagan Greek sexual fertility spring goddess, who is also called the Roman goddess, Venus. The Anglo-Saxon name for this month is Eastermonath, the month of the goddess EOSTRE/Ishtar whose name is the origin of the word EASTER. April is named in honor of her. Even Christians celebrate Easter instead of Passover and they are ignorantly worshiping Semiramis or Ishtar, a satanic goddess idol!
5] May = Maia, the Greek goddess of spring, identified with the goddess of fertility, Bona-Dea. She is included with April as a spring goddess of fertility to cover all Passover eventualities with pagan festivities. Mayday is the day of little schoolgirls worshiping Nimrods penis by dancing around the “Maypole” of Nimrod and garlanding it with flowers as a preparation for later demonically led sexual activity. I saw this display of American schoolteacher ignorance as an ignorant young gradeschool boy on school playground equipment poles. IT IS SICK!
6] June = Juno; another goddess and wife of Jupiter; this time it is a Roman demon who is also known as the Greek goddess, Hera. Her chief claim to fame is as another “queen of heaven” and as a divine “watcher” over the female sex. This ties in with the month of June as being the most auspicious time for marriage in America.
7] July = Julius. Julius Caesar; the Emperor of Rome and self-proclaimed sungod; the creator of the Julian calendar who proclaimed his own deity prior to being ventilated by many knives by some disgruntled senators. So much for proclaiming, “man is god”.
8] August = Augustus. Named after the [guess who], the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar; another ultimate politician and Obamanation.
9] September, the 7th month of the Biblical year [Sept] = Pomona; Named after the Roman goddess of fruit and fruit bearing trees. Wine, anyone?
10] October, the 8th month of the Biblical year [Oct] = Astraea, a Greek goddess. The Latin word Octber means eighth, so how did eighth become tenth? The Middle English word is Octobre, meaning a time to brew English/German Ale, called “Oktoberfest”.
11] November, the 9th month of the Biblical year [Nov] = Samhain. The name comes from the Catholic “All Saints day”, but the festival is really a Samhain [Satan] festival; known as Halloween, a celebration of devils.
12] December, the 10th month of the Biblical year [Dec] = Decima/Vesta. This is the middle goddess of the three fates and the Middle English spelling is Decembre. The Latin word is from decem meaning 10th. So why is the Catholic Calendar calling it the 12th month? Well, my confused American Christian friend, it is to sneak in “Christmas” with its lies so you will celebrate the Winter Solstice with the Wiccans and other pagans, who laugh at your naivete.
1] January = Janus, the two faced demonic god of endings, doors, theater and beginnings. The pagan new year is celebrated in January. The only “door” [dalet] that I recognize is the Holy One of Israel, Yeshua Ha Moshiach!
2] February = Februa, the Roman goddess of passion, death, purification and sex. Her orgiastic rites are celebrated on the 14th of February, St. Valentine’s Day. Send someone a valentine and participate in this feast of Wiccan, pagan lust. In the middle ages, one sent a Valentine such that a demon of lust would inhabit the recipient person you wished to have sex with. The demon is still present, but Americans are mostly ignorant of this evil intentioned root. Or are they?
3] March = Mars, the Roman god of war, known in Greece as Ares and by the Nordic Vikings as Odin. This month in early spring was considered a good time to start a war. Check your history on this one. For instance, when a squad leader wishes his troops to move out, what word does he use to get them going? Yes, you guessed it. MARCH!
The modern Protestant Christian Churches; in their zeal to accept and incorporate these pagan deities into their doctrines, holy days, holidays and ecclesiastical dogma, throw out and dispense with entire books of the Bible, notably the first 5 books of the Torah {Pentateuch] of YHWH God, to their eternal shame. It is little wonder that the new Babylonian system of Roman Catholicism calls the Protestant Denominations “wayward daughters, soon to return to the fold”. I am still waiting for the Protestants to complete the Reformation and cast aside their pagan doctrines. I do not think it will happen soon without church persecution and mass repentance on the part of the many Denominations naming the 400 year old name of “Jesus”, an English title which means nothing in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. His Grace is sufficient, however, to cover that little bit of ignorance, so Yeshua allows His Western children to call him by that name anyway. His mercy endures forever and he allows a multitude of errors in Christians as a good Savior does. He does not expect a believing toddler to do everything that a teenager or a mature grownup would be expected to do.
Sha’ul (Paul) told the Thessalonians that before the Messiah returned, there would be a “falling away” (apostasy, a “departure from truth”). This departure from the truth would then open the door for something evil called “the man of lawlessness” to come forth. This “coming of the lawless one” would be accompanied by “all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” which would “deceive those who are perishing.”
“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved,” Paul writes. “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” In preparation for the return of the Messiah, God is also sending powerful revelation to graciously expose the ancient lie, so that those who love the truth can depart from error and be freed from the bewitching influence of the spirit of lawlessness.
The Roman Pope has taken upon himself the role of a type of Ante [in place of] -“Christ” and as it is documented in encyclicals and edicts, his supposed right to “change times and seasons” in direct defiance of scripture. The many denominational Christian Churches have not only kept silent, but have slavishly followed the Roman Catholic calendars pathway to destruction and divine judgment. Take note of the many goddesses named in the calendar, which universally represent the concept of a “queen of heaven”. Roman Popes have also placed Miriam [Mary] in this same category with the “Queen of heaven’s” named witchcraft pagan attributes, again, in defiance of Scriptural truth. After all, the Popes are all called “Lord God, the Pope” by the followers of this form of the Babylonian religion.
There is an excellent article outlining the “ABCs of the Biblical Calendar” on the website http://www/yrm.org/abccalendar.htm that describes the Scriptural remedy to this sad state of affairs. Many will read this article and others of similar warning, but I think that few Christians will ACT upon what they read. The Bible is very clear on Yahweh’s position and instructions on His appointed times and seasons and His Calendar is very easy to understand, but, sadly, the majority will place the “traditions of men/ elders/ leaders/ pastors and Rabbis” foremost in their minds above the clear, Holy, Torah instructions and teachings of Yahweh God in His written word.
Much has been written and posted on the Internet on this subject and I add my humble observations to the lot and hope that someone’s mind and heart may be stirred to study to show themselves approved to YHWH God and then apply these teachings to their lives.
Blessings B’Shem Yeshua Ha Moshiach,
Walking on the road to Emmaus,
Rabbi James Talbott, the Wilderness Teacher
The Roman General Julius Caesar entered Egypt in c. 48 BC and became an ally and lover of Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra.
Caesar and Cleopatra had a son, Caesarion, during the three years they were together.
Cleopatra (21) “met” Caesar (52) by having herself “delivered” to him in a rug, according to the historian Plutarch. (Watch the short video below for a dramatization of this unique event.)
But unlike his rival Mark Anthony, Caesar was able to escape the arms and charms of Cleopatra and returned to Rome where he initiated the Egyptian Calendar in 45 BC.
The Roman Calendar was called the AUC from Ab Urba Condita, “From The Founding Of The City (of Rome).” The AUC calendar had been so inaccurate that even though Caesar had crossed the Rubicon on January 10, 49 BC, several years later that date fell in mid-Autumn.
Caesar had seen the Egyptian calendar was a simple one of 365 days with an extra day (an intercalary leap year day) every fourth year in order to make up for the drift of the vernal equinox. Caesar wanted the new calendar to begin with his rule, but the Senate had always started a new year on January 1, the month named after the god Janus who had two faces, one looking ahead to the future and the other looking back to the past (right).
July1 (named after “Julius’) is not the start of our New year. January 1 and the god Janus still stands guard over his territory.
The Julian Calendar would be used for the next 1,600 years.
CLICK HERE for article on Julius Caesar and the Julian Calendar
But the Christian Church had for centuries used a different calendar for its main celebration—The Resurrection of Jesus, Easter aka Pascha (Hebrew for “Passover”). The Church Calendar, based on a lunar system, had been devised at The First Council of Nicea in 325 to ensure the Church celebrated Easter on the exact Sunday of the Resurrection. The Church in Alexandria, following a solar calendar, had always celebrated Easter on the 14th day of the moon that falls on or after the vernal (the Spring) equinox.
The earth revolves around the sun and two times each year, the sun is exactly above the equator (See below). These two times in Sept and March are equinoxes, meaning “equal night,” because the length of a day and a night is almost equal in all parts of the world at those two times.
By the 900’s most Christian churches celebrated Easter according to the Alexandrine method. But the vernal equinox drifts. When Julius Caesar established his calendar in 45 BC he set March 25 as the spring equinox. Because a Julian year (365.25 days) is slightly longer than the tropical year, the calendar “drifted” with respect to the equinox such that the equinox was occurring on about March 21 in AD 300 and by AD 1500 it had reached March 11. By the 1500’s both the Church’s lunar calendar and the Julian calendar were off kilter and Easter was being celebrated on the wrong day.
Pope Gregory XIII (left) and the learned ecclesiastics were determined to fix the problem of equinox drift and the confusion over the date of Easter once and for all. To remedy “the drift problem,” the Gregorian calendar dropped 10 days from the year 1582. On Thursday October 4, 1582 the Church adopted what would be called the Gregorian calendar by a papal bull entitled Inter Gravissimas (”Among The Greatest Concern”).
The Christian Church may have had “grave concerns” about the date of Easter being astronomically inaccurate on the church lunar and Julian solar calendars, but the secular world was not obligated by a papal bull. The Catholic countries of Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, however, adopted the new calendar immediately. Scotland and most Protestant countries adopted Gregory’s calendar in the 1700’s. England and colonial America adopted it in 1752. When Alaska was purchased by the United States from Russia in 1867, the Alaska Territory began to keep Gregorian time. Russia remained on the Julian calendar until 1917 after the Russian Revolution and Greece held on to Julian until 1923. Some tribes and isolated peoples still use the Julian calendar.
Today, internationally, the Gregorian calendar is the only one used. It is so accurate it has an infinitesimal error of gaining only one day every 3,325 years. The Christian concern over the date of Easter has prevailed even though most of the secular world had no idea there had been a problem.
This divine obsession in the Christian Church on fixing the exact date for the Paschal Celebration had led Dionysius Exiguous (right) in 525 to invent the AD/BC (Anno Domini Year of the Lord and Before Christ) designations used in the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
The monk Exiguus devised an arcane and confusing Paschal Table to project from the past into the future the exact dates of Easter. His Table was so mathematically and astronomically correct it became the basis for not only prognosticating Easter for generations but also for designating with AD/BC everything after and before the birth of Christ.
Calendars were traditionally invented and used to facilitate agricultural plantings and harvests, religious events, the start of seasons, tribal migrations and to chronicle the past.
But since the advent of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christian Western world has been fixated on refining and correctly ascertaining the exact Sunday in each year when Christians are to celebrate His resurrection. Countries with no Christian backgrounds have recognized the Gregorian calendar. Japan adopted it January 1, 1873; Korea on January 1, 1895 and China in 1912.
There are many professed Christians today who reject Saturday as being the 7th day Sabbath, simply because of the change that was made in the calendar by Pope Gregory. It is true that the calendar we use today is known as the 'Gregorian' calendar, due to a change instigated by Pope Gregory in 1582. This change was made due to the 'inaccuracy' of the previous calendar established by Julius Caesar. It is stated by many professed Christians today that we do not know which day the original 7th day of the week from the Bible is. But on this page we will show proof that our Saturday today is the 7th day of the week from Bible times.
The issue with the Julian calendar is that it added a leap day every 4 years, without exception, and this resulted in adding too many days than is required for an accurate solar calendar. The Julian calendar had commenced the 1st of January of the 46th year before the birth of Christ (the 708th from the foundation of Rome). At that time the Spring equinox fell on March 25th, but because of the Julian calendar's inaccuracy, it had gradually drifted earlier over the years to March 10th or 11th by 1582. This error was important to the Catholic church, because under the solar Julian calendar, the date of Easter (probably the most important date to the Catholic church), was gradually creeping farther and farther (earlier and earlier) away from the time of year set by the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., when the equinox fell about March 21st. Easter was then to be observed by Roman Catholics on the first Sunday after the full moon occurring after the Spring equinox, except when that coincided with the Jewish Passover, in which case Easter was delayed to the following Sunday.
To correct this perceived Easter problem, Pope Gregory XIII returned the Spring equinox to March 21st by decreeing that Thursday, October 4th, 1582, would be followed not by the 5th, but by Friday, October 15th. He jumped the calendar 10 days numerically. But what is important to realize is that he did not change the weekly cycle of days.
You can see a translation of Pope Gregory's 'Inter Gravissimas' Papal Bull HERE - showing that Thursday 4th was followed by Friday 15th, with no change to the weekly cycle.
So that this correction would be maintained, the Pope then decreed that leap years would occur only when the year was divisible by four, and only the centennial years that were divisible by 400 would be leap years. During a leap year, one day is added to the month of February (the 29th), as a correction. This method of calendar keeping was gradually adopted across Europe, and the world, and is nearly universal today.
England did not adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752. By that time, eleven days had been gained, so Wednesday September 2, was followed by Thursday September 14. The eleven days were skipped, but the weekly cycle of days, Sunday through Saturday, remained unchanged throughout the Middle Ages.
Not only do we have proof from the translated Paper Bull issued by Pope Gregory, we also have documented letters from the United States Naval Observatory in Washington DC and the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, after inquiries were made in 1932. Take a look at what those letters state:
"I can only state that in connection with the proposed simplification of the calendar, we have had occasion to investigate the results of the works of specialists in chronology and we have never found one of them that has ever had the slightest doubt about the continuity of the weekly cycle since long before the Christian era." (James Robertson, Director, US Naval Observatory, Washington DC, March 12, 1932 - SOURCE)
Let me just repeat that so you don't miss it - "we have never found one of them that has ever had the slightest doubt about the continuity of the weekly cycle since long before the Christian era." - Not the SLIGHTEST doubt!
"As far as I know, in the various changes of the calendar there has been no change in the seven day rota of the week, which has come down from very early times. There have been attempts in the French revolution and in Russia to alter this cycle." (Astronomer Royal, Greenwich Royal Observatory, London, 4th March, 1932 - SOURCE)
Where did the 7 day weekly cycle come from according to the above letter? From "very early times." Which as we know is from Bible times, even from the creation week of Genesis. If you continue to read the letter from Greenwich Observatory, you will see they state there is evidence that 7 day weekly cycle is independent from from the monthly cycle and from all astronomical periods, and that it passed from the Jewish church to the Christian. What does this also prove? That the Sabbath is NOT based on the lunar cycle, showing the lunar Sabbath theory to be false. See our page EXPOSING THE LUNAR SABBATH for more. Not only that, did you notice the letter said the French revolution and Russia tried to change the weekly cycle? Satan has tried but FAILED, because God has preserved His holy Sabbath day.
Sunday keeping Christians are quick enough to say that Sunday (1st day of the week) is the day Jesus was resurrected. Which makes Saturday the 7th day of the week. But then they proclaim that we do not know which day the 7th day is. Well, you don't know which day the 1st day is either then - the day in which Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This is the utter confusion that reigns in the fallen churches, known as 'Babylon' (confusion).
The Jews have faithfully kept the 7th day Sabbath for thousands of years and today they keep sundown Friday to sundown Saturday - the 7th day of the week - the day that God specifically set aside for rest and holy use at creation and confirmed in His ten commandments. But now I hear another statement from professed Christians ... "It doesn't matter which day you keep as Sabbath."
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH DAY YOU KEEP?
Have you heard this statement before? Or do you believe this statement to be true? So many professed Christians today believe that it matters not which day of the week you keep as the Sabbath day. Let me respond to this by sharing an event from the Bible:
2 Kings 5:10,14 ... 'And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean ... Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.'
This is the event of Naaman and his leprosy. Now if you read the entire account, you will see that Naaman was not happy about washing in the river Jordan. Instead he inquired about going to wash in the rivers of Damascus (vs.12), saying "may I not wash in them and be clean?" Now I ask you, what if Naaman had gone and washed himself seven times in one of the rivers of Damascus instead of the Jordan? I mean, what does it matter WHICH river? Surely the rivers of Damascus were cleaner, and deeper, and more convenient for Naaman. But, would Naaman have been healed of his leprosy by dipping himself seven times in the Abana or Pharpar rivers in Damascus? Is there anyone who would like to say he would have been healed by going to any other river than the Jordan?
Let me ask again - Is there anyone who would DAREto say that Naaman would have been healed by choosing a different river to that which God had specifically commanded through Elisha?
What was the test? Will Naaman simply accept God's Word by faith, doing as Jehovah commanded through Elisha and be healed, even though it may be an 'inconvenience'? Or will he choose HIS OWN way? I will say what hopefully everyone would agree with, and that is Naaman would NOT have been healed of his leprosy if he chose a different river to that which God had commanded. And why is that? Because healing NEVER comes from disobeying God's specific commands. There is no cleansing in disobedience to God's specific Word. With this in mind, God has designated the seventh day as His holy Sabbath, which evidence shows is our Saturday today. Will you BY FAITH accept God's specific Word concerning the Sabbath? Or will you, like Naaman, before his servant showed him the truth, try and find your OWN WAY, by choosing YOUR OWN day for healing? Remember, healing will NEVER come through disobedience.
God’s Calendar
To understand the Biblical truth about Passover and Easter, it is a prerequisite to understand God’s calendar, as it directly correlates to Messiah’s first and second coming events. In Genesis, God commanded His divine, sovereign calendar to be calculated by two of His created celestial bodies.
Genesis 1:14, Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night (sun and moon); and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth.”
In the beginning, the Almighty established His calendar based on the sun and the moon in order for us to understand His signs and seasons. Please note, the Julius/Gregorian (Roman) calendar, the one that we use, is based only on the sun. The Hebrew word for seasons is “Mo’ed” (Strong’s #4150), which means an “appointed feast or a divine appointment.” In other words, God created His calendar for specific divine appointments (seasons), so that mankind could understand when Messiah would intersect with us! In Exodus 12, He commanded when the first month would occur on His calendar, which is the month of Abib, commonly known as Nisan (Exodus 12:1-2).
God’s calendar is referred to as the Hebrew (Jewish) calendar, and the first month of the religious year is Nisan. Unfortunately, most of the world today uses the Julius/Gregorian calendar (Roman). However, as we will confirm, it is not the calendar that God uses. Please note, many people think Messiah “changed the calendar.” Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is no biblical evidence that Messiah ever changed the Laws and Commandments of the Father, including the calendar that He revealed to us in the Scriptures (Matthew 5:17-20). This idea of a “changed calendar” is firmly rooted in anti-semitism and the traditions of men.
The Origin of Passover
In the Torah, God commanded the children of Israel to keep seven feasts that correlates with His calendar (Leviticus 23); Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), Trumpets (Yom Teruah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). Why? Because, as we will see, these feasts prophesy when God made flesh (Jesus) would directly intersect with mankind for His first and second coming events!
Leviticus 23:1-2, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”
It is very important to understand these are God’s feasts, not Israel’s feasts, and not the Jew’s feasts, but God’s feasts. If you are saved in Jesus, Jew or Gentile, you are grafted into the commonwealth of God’s Israel (Romans 11, Ephesians 2:11-13). Because of this, these feasts are for you to proclaim and celebrate every year, as well. Many people today, especially Christians, believe these are only the Jew’s feasts. However, the feasts of the Lord were given to ALL of Israel (including those foreigners among them) at Sinai (Exodus 12:19), and the term “Jew” does not appear in scripture until the time of King Zedekiah during the Babylonian exile of the House of Judah around 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:25). Therefore, the Feasts of the Lord are not exclusive to the Jewish people, but are borderless for all of God’s people throughout the nations, His Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12, Galatians 6:15-16).
As we discovered in Genesis 1:14, the Hebrew word for “seasons” is Mo’ed, which means a “feast and divine appointment” (Strong’s #4150). Additionally, the Hebrew word for “holy convocations” is Miqra, which means “rehearsal” (Strong’s H-4744). When we substitute the meaning of the Hebrew words into Leviticus 23:1-2, it reads like this:
Leviticus 23:1-2, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “The divine appointments of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be rehearsals, these are My divine appointments.”
God is clearly proclaiming that His divine appointments (feasts) with mankind, Messiah’s first and second coming events, will occur on His seven feast days (Leviticus 23). Remember, Messiah confirmed that He would fulfill these feasts in Matthew 5:17-20, as Leviticus is included in the Torah.
To understand the divine connection between the commanded feast days (divine appointments) of the Lord and the fulfillment of the first three feasts by Messiah on Passover week (Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits), let us explore the prophetic foreshadows of these feasts, and how Messiah perfectly fulfilled them at His first coming.
The Feast of Passover (Nisan 14)- 1st feast – Leviticus 23
Leviticus 23:5, “On the fourteenth day of the first month at evening is the Lord’s Passover.”
According to God’s calendar, the Hebrew calendar, this day is Nisan 14, which usually occurs in April on the Gregorian calendar. Now, let us discover the prophetic foreshadow of Passover before Messiah’s ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic divine appointment (feast).
Exodus 11:4-7, “Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.”
Moses warned Pharaoh of God’s judgment on all of the Egyptian’s firstborn, including Pharaohs, if he did not release the children of Israel from captivity. In one of the most prophetic, fatal, and devastating events in the Holy Bible, Pharaoh denied Moses’ warning and did not release them.
Exodus 11:9-10, “But the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
As the Lord understands all of mankind’s decisions before they are made (Daniel 2:20-22), including Pharaohs, this event would become the inauguration of the first national Passover! Nevertheless, before God executed His final plague on the Egyptians, He gave Moses and Aaron instructions for the the Lord’s Passover (rehearsal).
Exodus 12:1-14,” Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month (Nisan 10) every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month (Nisan 14). Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. It is the Lord’s Passover. ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.”
The children of Israel were commanded to take an unblemished, first year male lamb, as the Passover lamb. The description of the lamb foreshadows Jesus, since He is the unblemished Lamb of the world! The children of Israel were commanded to put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and lintel of the houses in order for them to be excluded (Passover) from God’s wrath. This is a prophetic foreshadow of all believers who accept the blood of the Lamb, Messiah, as He will “passover” them in His day of judgment. Hallelujah!
God also commanded the children of Israel to keep Passover as a memorial (rehearsal), and they were to celebrate this divine appointment (feast) “throughout their generations.” Why did God command them to keep Passover throughout the generations? He was training the children of Israel to rehearse Passover every year so that they would understand Messiah’s first coming events, His divine appointments (feasts – Leviticus 23). The Exodus Passover is what delivered God’s people from Egypt, however, it was also a “rehearsal” for a greater deliverance through Messiah at His first coming, as He is the sacrificial Lamb of the world!
Numbers 9:2-3, “On the fourteenth day of this month (Nisan 14), at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time (rehearsal). According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.”
Messiah’s Fulfillment of the Feast of Passover- 1st Feast -Leviticus 23
During Messiah’s first coming, He entered Jerusalem when the feast days were approaching (Matt:21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12:12). On Nisan 10, four days before Passover, the people were commanded to take a sacrificial lamb to Jerusalem according to the Torah (Exodus 12:3). In Jesus’ day, all of the sacrificial sheep came from Bethlehem, just as the Lamb of God was also born there (Micah 5:2). On Nisan 10, the lambs were brought from Bethlehem into the northern gate to be sacrificed on Nisan 14 (Passover). At the same time, Messiah entered through the eastern gate (Lions Gate) as the Passover Lamb of the world! In other words, Jesus and the lambs entered Jerusalem at the same time for Passover, as both would be sacrificed (John 12).
In another divine parallel to the Feast of Passover as the foreshadow to Jesus’ sacrifice is found in the Psalms. King David wrote the songs for His death, known as the Hallel (Psalms 113-118). Keep in mind, Hosanna means “save now” (Strong’s #5614). As Jesus and the lambs entered Jerusalem, the people were singing the Hallel saying, “save now, save now” (Hosanna)!
Psalm 118:24-26, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now (Hosanna), I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.” (Also see Matt. 21:8-9, Mark 11:10, John 12:12-13)
From Nisan 10-14, the High Priests were commanded to inspect the lambs to make sure they did not have any blemishes (Exodus 12:5). As the High Priests were inspecting the lambs for blemishes, the Pharisees, chief priests, scribes, and Herodians were inspecting Jesus. However, they did not find any wrongdoing of Messiah, because He was perfect and without blemish.
Matthew 26:59-60, “Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none.” (Also see Luke 23:4,13-15)
After the Lord’s supper, and before Messiah was betrayed and crucified, the children of Israel sang Psalm 118 of the Hallel.
Psalm 118:21-23,27, “I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. God is the Lord, and He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.”
As the children of Israel were singing Psalm 118 as a “rehearsal” for Passover, most did not realize Messiah’s first coming events (three Spring Feasts) were being fulfilled before their very eyes! This prophetic Psalm declares, “this was the Lord’s doing,” clearly confirming that God preordained Messiah’s crucifixion on Nisan 14, and the soldiers were about to “bind the sacrifice to the horns of the altar.”
Revelation 13:8, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.“
1 Peter 1:19-21, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
On Nisan 14, the day of the Lord’s Passover, the High Priest’s “rehearsal” was to sacrifice the Lamb. Please note, the High Priests had been “rehearsing” this ceremony for 1,500 years from the time of the first Passover in Egypt.
At the third hour (9am), which is the morning sacrifice, the High Priest would bind the lamb to the alter for Passover. At the exact hour as the High Priest was binding the lamb for sacrifice, the soldiers were also binding Messiah to the cross.
Mark 15:25, “Now it was the third hour (9am), and they crucified Him.”
As they lifted Messiah’s body on the cross, the people were singing Psalms 118 in the Hallel.
Psalm 118:14-16, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
As we know, Messiah is the right Hand of God Almighty (Mark 16:19, Luke 22:69). After Messiah was nailed and lifted up on the cross, more “rehearsals” were fulfilled.
Matthew 27:45-47, “Now from the sixth hour (12 noon) until the ninth hour (3pm, evening sacrifice) there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour (3pm evening sacrifice) Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Also see Psalm 22, as it was common for people to quote the first opening sentences of a passage for reference. Jesus is directing us to read Psalm 22).
John 19:30, “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
As the High Priest was killing the Passover lamb (the evening sacrifice-3pm), Messiah, the Passover Lamb of God, died on the cross for the sins of the world! (John 3:16, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:10). Furthermore, when Jesus said, “It is finished,” this is a direct reference to the High Priest, as he would say these exact words when he finished killing the Passover lamb.
In summary of the Feast of Passover, God preordained when the Passover would happen in Egypt and also when His only begotten son, Jesus, would fulfill the first of His seven feasts, the Feast of Passover. Messiah perfectly fulfilled Passover to the exact day, to the exact hour, and to the exact detail of the ceremony! The apostle Paul, who was the primary missionary to the Gentiles (non-Jews), certainly clears up any misunderstanding by Gentiles about the Feast of Passover.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8, “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, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Amen!
Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15)- 2nd Feast -Leviticus 23
Now, let us discover the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15) and how Messiah perfectly fulfilled this feast, as well! We will begin with the prophetic foreshadow in Egypt.
Leviticus 23:6, “And on the fifteenth day of the same month (Nisan 15) is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.”
On the inaugural Feast of Unleavened Bread in Egypt, God commanded the children of Israel to remove all of the leavened bread (sin) from their houses.
Exodus 12:15, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses.”
Leaven is symbolic for sin. God wanted the children of Israel to remove sin from their houses and their lives. This was a prophetic foreshadow and rehearsal of Messiah’s first coming, because as we are all sinners, He was without sin (unleavened), but became sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God Almighty (2 Corinthians 5:21). Amen!
Exodus 13:10, “You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.”
Messiah’s Fulfillment of Unleavened Bread- 2nd Feast – Leviticus 23
On the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), Jesus was laid (buried) in a tomb.
Mark 15:46, “Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.”
John 19:31,42, “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day). So there they laid Jesus in the tomb, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread, a high holy feast day, should not be confused with the weekly Sabbath. In Leviticus 23:7-8, this feast is commanded to be a “high day,” which is an annualSabbath. Thus, when Messiah was crucified on Nisan 14 at 3pm (evening sacrifice), they had to take Him off the cross before sundown, as it began Nisan 15, the annual Sabbath high day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (God’s days start from sundown to sundown – Genesis 1:1-3).
Approximately 1,500 years before Messiah’s fulfillment of Unleavened Bread, we discover a prophetic foreshadow of this feast. Just as God “buried” His Son on Nisan 15, the Egyptians buried their firstborn on this day, as well.
Numbers 33:3-4, “They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month (Nisan 15); on the day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with boldness in the sight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them.”
Just as the Egyptians buried their firstborn on the inaugural Feast of Unleavened Bread, God also “buried” Messiah on this feast (Nisan 15), therefore fulfilling the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the exact day and detail of the ceremony.
Feast of FirstFruits – 3rd Feast – Leviticus 23
The third divine appointment (feast) that Messiah fulfilled before He ascended to the right Hand of the Father, is the Feast of FirstFruits. This feast is when the Almighty resurrected Messiah, as He is the FirstFruits of the resurrection!
1 Corinthians 15:23, “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.”
Leviticus 23: 10-12, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord.”
God commanded the Feast of FirstFruits to be “rehearsed” the day after the Sabbath, which is the first day of the biblical week (Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown). The children of Israel were commanded to bring a sheaf of the first fruits and give it to the High Priests. The High Priests would wave the sheaf to the Lord for acceptance. A sheaf represents a person or people (Strong’ s Dictionary #6016). Also, God commanded a “male lamb of the first year and without blemish” to be offered as a sacrifice when the priests waved the sheaf, which is a prophetic foreshadow of Messiah.
Messiah’s Fulfillment of FirstFruits – 3rd Feast – Leviticus 23
After Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, and laid in the tomb on Nisan 15, He rose on the Feast of FirstFruits!
Matthew 28:1,5-6, “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn (Sunday morning), Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.”
According to God’s Word, the Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) is the last day of the week, and the first day of the week is Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown (night comes before day – Genesis 1-2). The apostle Matthew writes that Messiah was not in the tomb “at dawn,” because He had risen. So, at dawn on the first day of the week, Sunday, as the High Priests were waving their first fruits (sheaf) to the Lord, Messiah had already risen from the dead at the same time, becoming the FirstFruits of mankind! The first sheave that the High Priest would wave represents the entire harvest would be fulfilled. This tells us just as Messiah was the FirstFruit dedicated to God, we are His harvest, and therefore we will be resurrected, as well!
Psalm 16:10, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (Hell), nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Also see 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, Acts 13:33-35)
As the High Priest waved the sheaf to the Lord, he was also commanded to offer an unblemished male lamb of the first year. As we discovered, Messiah was the unblemished male lamb of the first year (FirstFruits), fulfilling this divine appointment.
Jesus is the Beginning of the Creation of God through whom all things were created. He is also the First Begotten Son, Firstborn of all creatures, Firstborn of Mankind, Firstborn of Mary, First Begotten of the Dead, and the FirstFruits of the Resurrection! Messiah is the Feast of FirstFruits!
Conclusion of the Origin of Passover
Assuredly, the origin of Passover (Nisan 14), Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), and FirstFruits is clearly and directly from the Holy Bible. God Almighty, and His Son, Jesus, commands their people to proclaim and celebrate the Lord’s feasts throughout the generations (Leviticus 23, Matthew 5:17-20), which includes Jews and Gentiles (Romans 11, Ephesians 2:11-13, Galatians 3:26-29). The first three feasts of the Lord directly continues the order of God’s command to the fourth feast, the Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost). In summary, from the Feast of FirstFruits, it is commanded to count fifty days unto the Feast of Shavuot, and it is a statue to be kept forever in all the dwellings throughout the generations (Leviticus 23:15-22, Matthew 5:17-20). Messiah perfectly fulfilled the Feast of Shavuot to the day, hour (9am), and details of the ceremony, as He poured out His holy spirit on the people at this divine appointment (Acts 2), fulfilling the fourth spring feast of His first coming events.
So, what about the remaining three fall feasts in Leviticus 23, Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles?
If God does not change (Malachi 3:6), and if Messiah is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and there is no shadow of turning with Him (James 1:17), just as Messiah perfectly fulfilled the first four spring feasts of Leviticus 23 at His first coming, He will definitely fulfill the remaining three fall feasts at His second coming (Matthew 5:17-20)! This is why it is important to understand God’s calendar and the Lord’s feasts, so that we are wise virgins and not foolish ones, understanding the time of our visitation, which is Messiah’s second coming events. (Luke 19:41-44, Matthew 24-25).
1 Corinthians 5:7-8, “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, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Amen!
Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”
The Origins of Easter
As we have discovered, the Lord’s feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, FirstFruits, and Shavuot are written and commanded in the Word, the Holy Bible, and Messiah, the Word made flesh, perfectly fulfilled all of them to the exact day, hour, and detail of the ceremony. Additionally, the Lord’s feast days in Leviticus 23 perfectly correlates and aligns with all four Gospel accounts of Messiah’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Assuredly, worshiping Messiah on these prophetic feast days is clearly biblical and commanded, and it certainly would be worshiping in Spirit and truth. Remember, Messiah will call a person “great in the kingdom of heaven,” if they keep His commandments, which include His divine appointments, the feasts (Matthew 5:19).
So, here are the lingering questions for the rest of this article:
“Is Easter a commanded biblical day according to the Holy Bible?”
“Does Easter perfectly align with the Gospels?”
“How did Easter originate, from the Holy Bible or from man?”
Before we begin, I humbly ask that you locate in your Holy Bible where it is commanded that Messiah’s holy crucifixion and resurrection is to be celebrated on Easter…….
Now, since no one, including religious leaders, can ever seem to locate the “Easter commandment” in the Word, the Holy Bible, let us remember that Messiah commands us to worship in Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit, and in truth (John 4:23-24), which is the Holy Bible (Word). These two work in perfect harmony with one another. Therefore, if we cannot find the commandment to worship on Easter, then it is a tradition of men. Since this is the absolute case, we need to responsibly and thoroughly review Easter’s origins, it’s different names throughout history, what the Holy Bible proclaims about traditions of men, and test it with the commandments of the Lord God, the Almighty.
The origin of the Easter celebration is clearly not derived from Scripture, as there is not one mention of Easter or the worship practices associated with Easter in the entirety of the Holy Bible. Many teach that the word “Easter” originated from the Greek word “Pascha” (Strong’s G3957), which came from the Hebrew word “Pesach” (H6453), which literally is translated Passover. Yet “Pascha” is used 29 times in the New Testament, and NOT ONCE is it ever translated as Easter, but rather it is ALWAYS translated Passover. The only time Easter is found is in the King James Version in Acts 12:4, which is an intentional mistranslation of “Pascha.” This version of the holy Scriptures is heresy and blasphemy, and should be obsolete, to say the least. In fact, in the New Kings James Version, Acts 12:4 states the proper translation, Passover. With that being said, if the word “Easter” and the dates, worship practices, and other trappings did not come from the Holy Bible, where did it all come from? The answer is not found in the Holy Bible, so we must explore other sources such as the historical writings of the “church fathers.”
ON THE KEEPING OF EASTER.
(From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council. (Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20.)
“When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was universally thought that it would be convenient that all should keep the feast on one day; for what could be more beautiful and more desirable, than to see this festival, through which we receive the hope of immortality, celebrated by all with one accord, and in the same manner? It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom[the calculation] of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom,(1) we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter, which we have observed from the time of the Saviour’s Passion to the present day[according to the day of the week]. We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and more convenient course(the order of the days of the week); and consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast. How can they be in the right, they who, after the death of the Saviour, have no longer been led by reason but by wild violence, as their delusion may urge them? They do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible. But even if this were not so, it would still be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communications with such wicked people[the Jews]. Besides, consider well, that in such an important matter, and on a subject of such great solemnity, there ought not to be any division. Our Saviour has left us only one festal day of our redemption, that is to say, of his holy passion, and he desired[to establish] only one Catholic Church. Think, then, how unseemly it is, that on the same day some should be fasting whilst others are seated at a banquet; and that after Easter, some should be rejoicing at feasts, whilst others are still observing a strict fast. For this reason, a Divine Providence wills that this custom should be rectified and regulated in a uniform way; and everyone, I hope, will agree upon this point. As, on the one hand, it is our duty not to have anything in common with the murderers of our Lord; and as, on the other, the custom now followed by the Churches of the West, of the South, and of the North, and by some of those of the East, is the most acceptable, it has appeared good to all; and I have been guarantee for your consent, that you would accept it with joy, as it is followed at Rome, in Africa, in all Italy, Egypt, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Libya, in all Achaia, and in the dioceses of Asia, of Pontus, and Cilicia. You should consider not only that the number of churches in these provinces make a majority, but also that it is right to demand what our reason approves, and that we should have nothing in common with the Jews. To sum up in few words: By the unanimous judgment of all, it has been decided that the most holy festival of Easter should be everywhere celebrated on one and the same day, and it is not seemly that in so holy a thing there should be any division. As this is the state of the case, accept joyfully the divine favour, and this truly divine command; for all which takes place in assemblies of the bishops ought to be regarded as proceeding from the will of God. Make known to your brethren what has been decreed, keep this most holy day according to the prescribed mode; we can thus celebrate this holy Easter day at the same time, if it is granted me, as I desire, to unite myself with you; we can rejoice together, seeing that the divine power has made use of our instrumentality for destroying the evil designs of the devil, and thus causing faith, peace, and unity to flourish amongst us. May God graciously protect you, my beloved brethren.”
This short excerpt shows us the clear origins of Easter. We are not to judge people or history, but rather test everything to Scripture for truth (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22.) Easter was instituted across the Roman empire by Constantine at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., by a group of men who had very anti-semetic beliefs and practices. Their desire was to distance themselves from the Jewish people as much as possible, and it is clear from many other writings of this era that they saw themselves as the “replacement” of Israel and the Jewish people (Replacement Theology). Easter was not instituted from any examination of Biblical principles, commandments, or writings, but rather as a “convenient” method by human “reason” to unify a diverse empire under the control of a central “church” authority, namely Constantine and the early Roman Catholic Church. Within the above writings, we see the clear motivations of convenience, control, and unity, masked in spiritual philosophy and stark anti-semetism. I wonder what the King of the Jews, Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus), would have to say about this?
Genesis 12:3, “I will bless this who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.”
John 4:22-24, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Unfortunately, by rejecting what they perceived as “Jewish,” they completely separated themselves and their posterity (modern day Christianity) from much of the amazing revelation of Scripture and the direct commandments and desires of the God of Israel.
While it is very clear that Easter was institutionalized within the church during the Council of Nicea, this still does not answer the question of where the modern day practices of Easter are derived. For this, we must explore even more ancient practices which often have very little direct evidence, but much circumstantial evidence, of the origins of Easter worship practices.
As we discovered, the name “Easter” does not come from “Pascha,” as many teach in the Church. So where did it come from? The evidence for origins of the name “Easter” is scarce, but in one of the earliest sources available, the Venerable Monk Bede (673-735 A.D.) wrote:
The months of Giuli derive their name from the day when the Sun turns back [and begins] to increase, because one of [thesemonths] precedes [this day] and the other follows. Solmonath can becalled ‘‘month of cakes’’, which they o¡ered to their gods in that month. Hrethmonath is named for their goddess Hretha, to whom they sacrificed at this time. Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month’’, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.
-(Faith Wallis (trans.), Bede: The Reckoning of Time, Liverpool University Press, 1999 p.54, https://www.scribd.com/doc/245646239/Bede-Bede-the-Reckoning-of-Time-Liverpool-University-Press-Translated-Texts-for-Historians-Liverpool-University-Press-1999)
If Easter does not come from “Pascha,” and one of the earliest sources state that it has origins in a false goddess celebration, and the early “church fathers” did not use Biblical principles to institute it, can anything that might resemble it actually be found in Scripture? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
There have been many pagan goddesses found throughout many cultures and time periods from the beginning of history: Ashtaroth, Astarte, Asherah, Ishtar, Eostre, Isis, and Eastre, just to name a few. These pagan goddesses are often associated with erotic love, fertility, sex, and war. While there is no clear “smoking gun” evidence that these goddesses are related, they have so much in common, including their names, that it very likely they developed through time by spreading from one culture to the next, permeating all time and humanity. Remember, a little leaven, leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).
Their history and trappings are often so similar that it is very likely they can be traced all the way back to Semiramis, the “queen of heaven” or “star of the east” (this is the much debated theory based on Alexander Hislop’s book The Two Babylons). Semiramis was allegedly the wife of Nimrod, who was deified as Baal and other sun gods (idol), and who was one of the original defiers of God (Gen. 10:8-9). It is no surprise that while the pagan goddess goes by many demonic names, the traditions and symbols used to represent her are very similar across many varying cultures, forms, and time periods. She was almost universally worshiped during the Spring equinox, which is where Easter falls every year.
Please note, the names Ashtaroth and Asherah, and their traditional practices of worship that correlates to Easter traditions, are found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). Ashtaroth is also included in Satan’s evil trinity (Lucifer, Beelzebub, Ashtaroth). Although no one can find Easter in the Gospel accounts of Messiah’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, we can find in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) where it warns us NOT to worship this false goddess or use any of her trappings, traditions, or methods to worship the One True God.
Jeremiah 7:17-20, “Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me. “Do they spite Me?” declares the LORD. “Is it not themselves they spite, to their own shame? says the Lord. “Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces? Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.”
1 Samuel 7:3-4, “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.”
1 Samuel 12:10, “And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.”
Judges 2:13, “They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.”
Judges 10:6, “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.”
Deuteronomy 16:21, “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make.”
2 Kings 17:16-18, “They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole.”
The symbols used to worship Easter/Ishtar/Ashtaroth/Asherah (pagan goddesses) included the fertility symbols of eggs and rabbits (specifically an egg laying rabbit), and the worship practices included forty days of self deprecation in mourning for her dead son, Tammuz. This was followed by a “sunrise worship service” and a huge carnal celebration when Tammuz was to be “resurrected” at the coming of spring each year. These are the exact same practices that many Christians undergo for Easter, but now its called Lent and Mardi Gras/Carnival, and Sunday sunrise service. Clearly, it is absolutely blasphemous and heretical to have symbolism of a fertility goddess (rabbit an eggs) and Tammuz on the most holiest weekend of the year, Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection. God’s prophet Ezekiel warned us about worshiping in a “Tammuz” way.
Ezekiel 8:12-16, “Then He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his carved images? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’” And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing.” Then He brought me to the entrance of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these.” Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun.”
God plainly warns us not to worship in the manner of “Tammuz,” or to the starry hosts, or to the sun rising in the east. Unfortunately, this is a practice which is directly related to the popular “Easter sunrise service.” In the above verses we see the women and elders of Israel in the House of the Lord weeping for Tammuz and worshiping toward the rising sun in the east. This frightening example almost perfectly parallels the worship practices of those believers who follow in the pagan ways of Easter.
Clearly, the Holy Bible commands us not to have anything to do Ashtaroth, Asherah, Eostre, Easter, or any other pagan name that is associated with this heresy and blasphemous abomination. Didn’t Messiah proclaim that He came to fulfill the Torah and the Prophets, and commands us to worship in Spirit (Holy Spirit) and truth (Holy Bible)? This would include adhering to the commands and warnings of the blasphemous pagan holiday of Easter in the Torah and the Prophets, as well. Make no mistake, the Holy Spirit, God’s spirit, is certainly not going to lead any believer to worship on a holiday that God calls pagan and evil (John 14), and the Holy Bible, the Word, has proclaimed Easter to be from the pits of hell. Easter, and all of its paganism, should not have anything to do with our divine, sovereign, righteous, holy Father, His begotten Son, and the blessed Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Christians, including religious leaders, pastors, and believers, are completely deceived by Satan as it relates to Easter, and I mean absolutely deceived. What is ironic is that the Church, as a whole, criticizes the Jews for having the oral traditions of the Torah, etc, but they are doing the same exact abomination with Easter, which is an oral tradition of men. In Matthew 23, Messiah scorned the religious leaders as hypocrites for the oral traditions of men, and today, the religious leaders of the Church who celebrate Easter are hypocrites, as well.
My friends, this begs the question, who do you serve first? The Church? Your Pastor? Your Priest? The Pope? Your family? Yourself? Or, do you first and foremost serve the eternal God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Holy One of Israel, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Branch of David, who is Yeshua, Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, the everlasting King of Israel?
Matthew 10:34-39, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
the time the Mishnah was compiled (200 AD), the sages had identified no less than four new-year dates for every lunar-solar year (the modern Jewish calendar was apparently ratified by Hillel the Elder in the 3rd century AD):
- Nisan 1 (i.e., Rosh Chodashim) marks the start of the month of the Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of Jewish national history. As such, it represents the start of the Biblical year for counting the festivals (Exod. 12:2). Note that the month of Nisan is also called Aviv since it marks the official start of spring.
- Elul 1 marks the start of the year from the point of view of tithing cattle for Temple sacrifices. Since the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the rabbis decreed that this date should mark the time of selichot, or preparation for repentance before Rosh Hashanah. Elul 1 marks the start of the last month of summer.
- Tishri 1 was originally associated with the agricultural "Feast of Ingathering" at the "end of the year" (Exod. 23:16, 34:22), though after the destruction of the Second Temple, the sages decided it would mark the start of the civil year in the fall.Tishri 1 was therefore called Rosh Hashanah ("the head of the year") which begins a ten-day "trial" of humanity climaxing on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
- Shevat 15 (i.e., Tu B'Shevat) originally marked the date for calculating the tithes of the harvest (ma'aserot) that farmers would pledge to the priests of Israel. This was the start of the year from the point of view of tithing of fruit trees. Today Tu B'Shevat represents a national Arbor Day in Israel, with tree planting ceremonies in Israel. Unlike the other three "new years," Tu B'Shevat begins in the middle of the month, during a full moon in winter.
In practical terms, however, there are two "New Years" in Jewish tradition. The first occurs two weeks before Passover (Nisan 1) and the second occurs ten days before Yom Kippur (the other two "new years" are not regularly observed, except by the ultra-orthodox). The first New Year is Biblical and is called Rosh Chodashim(see Exod. 12:2). This is the month of the redemption of the Jewish people -- and it is also the month Yeshua was sacrificed upon the cross at Moriah for our sins. Oddly enough for most Christians, "New Years Day" should be really celebrated in the spring....
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All of this is in striking contrast, however, with the most widely used calendar in the world today -- the "Gregorian Calendar" -- named after Pope Gregory XIII who reigned over the Catholic Church in the 1500's.
The Gregorian calendar, considered to be a revision to the Julian calendar (which was itself a revision of the pagan Roman/Greek calendars) retains most of the names of the days of the week and months of the year from pagan Rome (and therefore, ancient Greece). The ancient Greeks named the days of the week after the sun, the moon and the five known planets (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) which themselves were associated with the gods Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Cronus, respectively:
- Sunday. Latin: dies solis - "Sun Day." Sunday celebrates the sun god, Ra, Helios, Apollo, Ogmios, Mithrias, or the sun goddess, Phoebe. In the year 321 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine ruled that the first day of the week, 'the venerable day of the sun', should be a day of rest. The name was later changed to dies Dominica, "Lord's Day" in ecclesiastical tradition.
- Monday. Latin: lunae dies - "Moon Day." Monday was named in honor of the Assyrian goddess, Selene, Luna and Mani. In old English, mon(an)daeg meant "day of the moon."
- Tuesday. Latin: dies Martis - "Day of Mars." In Greek mythology Ares was the god of war (renamed "Mars" by the Romans). In English, "Tuesday" comes from Tiu (Twia), the English/Germanic god of war and the sky (identified with the Nordic god called Tyr).
- Wednesday. Latin: dies Mercurii - "Day of Mercury." In Greek mythology Hermes was the god of trade and commerce (renamed "Mercury" by the Romans). In English, the name "Wednesday" derives from the Scandinavian god Odin, the chief god of Norse mythology. Woden is the chief Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic god, the leader of the Wild Hunt.
- Thursday. Latin: dies Iovis - "Day of Jupiter." In Greek mythology Zeus was the god of the sky (renamed "Jupiter" by the Romans). The English word "Thursday" comes from the Middle English Thorsday,refering to "Thor" (the Nordic counterpart to Jupiter).
- Friday. Latin: dies Veneris - "Day of Venus." In Greek mythology Aphrodite was the goddess of love/fertility (renamed "Venus" by the Romans). The name "Friday" comes from Freya (Fria), the name of the Norse god Odin's wife and Teutonic goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
- Saturday. Latin: dies Saturni - "Day of Saturn." In Greek mythology Cronus was the god of the harvest (renamed "Saturn" by the Romans) who ruled until dethroned by his son Zeus.
Likewise the names of the months ("moons") have pagan-Roman connections. The month of "January," for instance, is named on behalf of Janus, the two-faced Roman "god of doorways" who had one face looking forward and one backward ("Janus faced"). March is named after Mars, the god of war; April for the fertility goddess Aphrodite, July is named on behalf of Julius Caesar, August for Augustus Caesar, and so on.... Of course, the Gregorian calendar of the Roman church tradition assimilated the pagan pantheon into its own liturgical calendar, as the Latin names of the days and months reveal.
אֶל־דֶּרֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם אַל־תִּלְמָדוּ
וּמֵאתוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם אַל־תֵּחָתּוּ
כִּי־יֵחַתּוּ הַגּוֹיִם מֵהֵמָּה
כִּי־חֻקּוֹת הָעַמִּים הֶבֶל הוּא
el · de·rekh · hag·go·yim · al · til·ma·du
ume·o·tot · ha·sha·ma·yim · al · te·cha·tu
ki · ye·cha·tu · hag·go·yim · me·hem·ah
ki · chuk·kot · ha·a·mim · he·vel · hu
"Learn not the way of the Gentiles,
nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the Gentiles are dismayed at them,
for the customs of the nations are vanity."
(Jer. 10:2-3)
It frankly baffles me that certain Christian theologians and preachers can be so meticulous about certain doctrines (such as justification by faith alone, the definition of the "church," the "inerrancy" of Scripture, the exact formula for baptism, etc.) and yet be seemingly oblivious to the fact that the modern, institutionalized Church inherits much of its substance and practice from pagan Rome... True, the Jews themselves adopted pagan names of the months from ancient Babylonia, but the Torah (as opposed to Jewish tradition) calls months (and days) by their ordinal number (the "first" month, the "second" month, etc.), and explicitly mentions that the New Year begins in spring (aviv). So, while I'd like to wish you all a "Happy New Year," I'd like to wait until Nisan 1! Meanwhile, I hope and pray that you draw close to our Lord Yeshua, regardless of the time or day! Shalom Chaverim...
Μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε τὸν κόσμον μηδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον,
οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν αὐτῷ - 1 Jn 2:15
ADDENDUM: I am not suggesting that we should reject the secular calendar in preference to the Biblical calendar, at least for everyday, practical matters in this world. Conventionally we all use the words "Monday," "Tuesday," "January," "February," and so on without regard for the pagan associations of these names, and since we live in a secular culture, we are constrained to use the same terms as the culture around us, especially regarding times, dates, etc. Nevertheless I think it's worthwhilecontrasting the Biblical view of the calendar with that of the pagan world around us, especially since this reveals the disparity between the "Greek" and "Hebrew" mindsets so clearly. Our Jewish Lord and Messiah told us that we were "in but not of" the world, after all (John 17:5).
Moreover I am concerned that the predominantly Gentile Church has unthinkingly adopted many assumptions of the pagan world and has thereby become gravely out of touch with the divine calendar and the prophetic purpose of the festivals of the LORD. Perhaps this is a result of the almost intractable problem of "Covenant Theology" or its ideological twin, "Dispensationalism," two interpretative methods that are used by various church theologians as they read the Scriptures. Churches that teach "Covenant Theology" advocate a form of "Replacement Theology," claiming that Israel should really be identified with the Gentile "church." On the other hand, churches that teach "Dispensationalism" consider the "Old Testament" to be worthy of instruction but really applicable only to the Jewish people (the Pauline epistles and perhaps the Gospel of John, on the other hand, are intended for the predominantly Gentile church). I believe that both approaches misread the Scriptures. (For more on this subject, see this article).
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Note about "Hyperreality"
"Hyperreality" is a term used to refer to the impairment of mind, conditioned by postmodern culture, to sometimes fail to distinguish between what is real and what is "virtually real." This has led to various techniques of "mass media" that invent a sort of "Disney world" effect in which people "enter into" illusory social constructs and passively regard them as realities. Such "fake depictions" create illusions that cater to people's fears, desires, and imaginations. It is the "technological mediation" of experience, and it is commonplace today, so commonplace, in fact, that it is the manufactured interpretation of what is "real."
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