Few events in modern history have ever demonstrated the divine intervention of Almighty God as clearly as the cluster of happenings on and just after 6:11 pm on the Sabbath day of July 13th … only 30 hours before the opening day of the Republican National Convention of 2024.
The Day of Gods Intervention
If you didn’t get the chance to witness the evening speeches of the 2024 RNC, it would be well worth giving some time to see some of them that I’ll link in the notes for today’s show at ReclaimYourLegacy.com. If the evil wishes of the deranged haters of Donald Trump had gotten their way on July 13th, everyone in this country, regardless of their opinions, would have reason to be extremely worried about the encroaching pathway to national and global violence if we had suffered the loss of the leadership of President Trump.
Ironically, the time stamp of “06:11” is the reference to a Bible passage that is extremely relevant right now. Ephesians 6:11 starts by saying…
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places…”
And that’s why it concludes in verse 13 of Ephesians 6…
“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
“WHO WILL RISE UP FOR ME AGAINST THE EVILDOERS? WHO WILL STAND UP FOR ME AGAINST THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY?” Psalm 94:16
Have you ever noticed the strong words God has for those who deliberately practice evil? They are sometimes referred to as “evildoers” in the Bible. Because we often tend to look at Scripture in a more personalized application, we can miss the fact that God’s word of condemnation often refers to the concerted efforts of organized evildoers. Likewise, it’s important for us to realize that our Heavenly Father is working in us corporately as His body to unitedly pray and work together to “destroy the works of (our enemy) the devil.” With that in mind, hear some of what God says about these enemy “workers of iniquity.”
When millions of people in countries all over the entire world are dying unexpectedly and prematurely, while millions more are being handicapped for life, you can understand why practically all your friends and neighbors are wondering how to explain these tragedies to their children.
How does the Bible direct Gods children to respond to injustice and intentional harm done by todays pharaohs?
People all over the world are rediscovering many of the realities of the long chain of events that precipitated the unanimous declaration of some of the bravest honorable men who ever lived.
When those 56 very somber leaders of the American colonists gathered together in Philadelphia to sign the document they had crafted, the extreme hardship of revolution that they faced could only have been sustained because of the deep conviction and confidence they had in their Creator whom they often referred to as “Providence.”
Over the course of their relatively young lives, their experience of dependency on their Creator reflected the profound knowledge that they had of the Bible and the principles of the God who is “at work in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” They intimately relied on the Sovereign of the Universe who “works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11),” and “works all things together for good to those who love God and …are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28).”
As we review the preamble to that declaration, perhaps we can refresh our own need to make a renewed declaration of commitment to God’s purposes in the unfolding story of God’s development of this generation’s determination – determination to be a people – indeed, a family and community – whose God is the Lord.
What can we do to reclaim the virtue that fought for freedom?
You’ve probably heard it said that “If you Want Change, Change Begins with YOU.”
Do you remember hearing this famous quote by one of America’s most eminent founding fathers?
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”
Benjamin Franklin’s wise insights used to be a regular part in the lives of American children, growing up in the freest nation ever to exist on Earth. Franklin’s autobiography and the biographies of other notable founders were a deliberate part of education in a culture that understood the value of ‘common sense.’
As we look at our national society today, you get the feeling that we’re living in enemy territory, don’t you? Just look at the evidences of corruption and vicious behavior; behavior that Ben Franklin observed to result in increasing “masters.” But to make matters worse, it’s becoming increasingly obvious to all… that many of our generation’s “masters” are more corrupt and diabolically vicious than any of the everyday gang members on the streets of America’s cities. Do I really mean that?
After hearing today’s report, you will have a better reason than ever to trust in the words of Jesus when He said, “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be (made) known.” (Matthew 10:26).
If you want the details on what you’re about to hear, be sure to listen to the extended bonus recording of this episode at ReclaimYourLegacy.com
After a full year of injecting people with an experimental gene altering shot for a patented infection that has never been isolated, called COVID-19, we can conclusively state that this is most definitely a weapon of mass destruction. It was intended to be from the start. It not only kills and cripples people in the present, it destroys unborn children in the womb as well. It is set to make a great part of the next generation of females infertile.
For people who don’t follow or even believe in the Creator God and Savior of mankind as revealed in the Bible, the current state of the world is bringing the consideration of Almighty God into their reality.
Psalm 25 verse 8-13 speaks clearly to us if we have ears to hear the revelation: “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He shows sinners the way. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way…. Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him. His soul will dwell in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.”
The Lord has repeatedly reminded me of two of the pivotal Biblical motivations He used to drive me into the truth-telling, discovery-focused work of service that has used my meager abilities for over 45 years now. The first is Isaiah 58:12 – “you will raise up the age-old foundations, be called the repairer of the breach, and the restorer of streets in which to dwell.”
This post includes a Bonus posted as a separate audio file (see below)
1Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
The transcript for the Bonus extension program with expert witnesses is at the end of the main transcript below. Listen to the recording here…
We are in a war. More people than ever are awaking to the reality of that. And as we do, we realize there are key elements of warfare – especially spiritual warfare – that every soldier must be constantly attentive to. As Jesus trained his 12 and his 70, and his 120 disciples – learning to work in harmony with each other – so, He is training His modern-day warriors to seek God’s direction, to intercede, to boldly speak up… to cooperatively work together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit… to prayerfully and courageously pursue the expanding work of God’s Kingdom, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.
How do you restore a fallen country, culture, society?
Prayerful Education of Christians must begin with parents and pastors to restore a fallen country
Is there any doubt that we’re living in “perilous times?”
Proverbs 29:2 says:
“When the righteous are increased (or flourish in number and authority), the people rejoice; But when the wicked (man) rules, the people groan.”
Is it any wonder we’re hearing a lot of groaning these days? And it’s not so much because of the ordinary stresses of life really, is it? A lot of our complaining is the direct result of governing over-reach into the private affairs of citizens. From where does corruption in political government come? Isn’t it from the infection of every nation or organization that is ruled by self-serving leaders? But the policing part of the public government equation is increasingly necessary only because of the epidemic lack of Godly morality and self-control among the public at large. George Washington, John Adams and others insisted that those two things were absolutely essential for the preservation of our constitutional republic.
Solving the Confusion over The Days celebrating Easter and Passover
Sometimes, the celebration dates of Passover and Easter coincide, but sometimes they can be weeks apart. Why is this? If Yeshua died at the time of the Jewish Passover, why does the institutionalized Christian church celebrate his death and resurrection on a different date of the year? How did they get separated?
For many Christians, Easter Sunday is the annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death. The Gospel writers are very clear that His crucifixion took place at the Jewish observance of Passover. Christians understand the prophetic symbolism of the Passover sacrifice. In fact, Paul writes that “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7). How is it then, that this year (2024) Easter, on March 31, occurs three weeks before Passover on April 22?
Establishing the Date for Passover
Both Easter and Passover appear to be on dates that change every year according to our modern Gregorian calendars. However, Passover is actually a fixed date on the Hebrew calendar – according to the Bible it is always on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month (Leviticus 23:5 and others). The date never changes; it is always the same. We just need to know when it is the first Hebrew month.
In the Jewish community, this is not an issue. In the fourth century AD, a calculated calendar system was developed, attributed to Rabbi Hillel II, establishing the months of the Hebrew calendar. The month for Passover must be in the spring of the year, but a year of twelve lunar months only consists of about 354 days while the cycle of the sun, determining the seasons, is about 365 days. To compensate for this discrepancy and to keep all of the Biblical festivals in their correct agricultural season, the Hillel calendar uses a system of adding a “leap month” about every three years.
It may sound a little odd, but since the Jewish calendar begins with the seventh month and ends with the following sixth month, the thirteenth “leap month” actually occurs in the middle of the Jewish year, right before the first month and Passover. According to the calendar, this year of 5784 will be a leap year with a leap month. That means that all the remaining months in the year 5784 will seem later when compared to the Gregorian calendar.
According to the encyclopedia Britannica, the Gregoriancalendar, solar dating system, that is now in general use, was proclaimed in 1582 by Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII as a reform of the Julian calendar. TheGregoriancalendar differs from the Julian only in that no century year is a leap year unless it is exactly divisible by 400 (e.g., 2000). Nearly all Eastern Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar to establish the dates of movable feasts such as Easter. The current discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is 13 days. However, the difference will become 14 days in 2100.
Does this seem Confusing? Maybe. Among those pursuing a Biblical faith there is considerable debate. The calendar is one of the two most passionately contested controversies in this movement. And since the Bible doesn’t specifically say “this is how you know it is the first day of the first month of the year,” various interpretations of Biblical and extra-Biblical texts have led to a number of proposed methods. It is not my intention here to defend one over the other. Just know that, according to the Torah, the date for Passover is fixed as the fourteenth day of the first month. And that first moon-month began on the day of the new moon in the springtime of the year when the Exodus of God’s people called Israel happened in Egypt, about 3500 years ago.
Establishing the Date for Easter
The timing of Easter does, in fact, vary from year to year on our calendar. Easter is not mentioned in the Bible. (Acts 12:4 in the King James Version is a well-known mistranslation of the word Pascha, correctly rendered as Passover in nearly all other translations, as well as all the other 28 times that the word appears in the New Testament).
After the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the Jerusalem Council of apostles and bishops began to lose their authority as moderator of the expanding Christian faith and the guardian of church traditions. Church authority began to shift westward to Rome, the capital of the Empire. This transition was completed in the aftermath of the failed Second Jewish Revolt against Rome in AD 132-135. That ended the long line of Jewish-Christian leadership that began in Jerusalem, influencing the eastern churches of Asia Minor in the east. By the end of the second century, a controversy arose that pitted the western churches around Rome against those of the east. On which day was it most appropriate to commemorate the resurrection?
Easter began to be instituted after the final collapse of Jewish influence in AD 135. In AD 155 Polycarp (AD 69-156) Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John, strongly holding to the Biblical pattern of celebrating the Levitical feasts, met in Rome with Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, to resolve this controversy. Neither would budge from his position and it is reported by Eusebius that Irenaeus (ca. AD 125-202), Bishop of Lyon and a student of Polycarp got them to peacefully agree to disagree. Those who maintained the Passover evening celebration were mainly the original churches founded by the Apostles. As the second century generation passed, the eastern churches refused to give in to Roman influence, insisting that they would keep the Passover tradition of the Apostles. Victor, the Bishop of Rome, attempted to excommunicate them. Around AD 190 Victor attempted to standardize the celebration of the resurrection around Easter. In 325AD, Roman Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea where the date for Easter was set as the Sunday following the full moon following the Spring equinox. (see: https://www.jewishawareness.org/passover-easter-and-the-early-church/)
So, whatever their motivation, the Roman bishops influenced the western churches to celebrate Easter according to the day of the week rather than the date of the month. According to their reckoning, by prioritizing the days they could then have Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday every year.
Yet, even that is not without controversy. The equinox used in this method is not based on astronomical observance. It was determined to always be March 21, while the full moon is 14 days after the new moon. The disagreement between the Roman church and the Eastern church led to them observing different dates for Easter Sunday almost 75% of the time. In fact, in 2024 the Roman church is observing Easter on March 31 while the Eastern church is observing it on May 5 (which still does not seem to relate to Passover).
There’s no doubt that the word “Easter” comes from a pagan celebration. It is true that “Ostara,” one of the eight annual pagan holidays, occurs at the vernal (spring) equinox, and that this is associated with fertility, the practice of coloring eggs, and myths about rabbits and eggs. However, the date selected to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus by the Nicaean Council – the first Sunday after the full moon after the equinox – has no direct connection to any pagan history. Certainly, no Christian who gathers for a sunrise service on Easter is either knowingly or unknowingly paying homage to the invincible sun god or the goddess of fertility. It is a sincere celebration by Christians to honor their risen Savior.
The Underlying Reason
The reason behind the Council of Nicaea deciding on the date for celebrating the resurrection runs far deeper than simply adapting a Christian meaning to an already existing pagan festival. The timing was already clear in the Gospel accounts: It was the first day of the week following Passover. But in the fourth century the Roman church under Emperor Constantine made a conscious decision to divorce itself from anything Jewish. This Council set a new foundational date for Easter, out of which would eventually come a liturgical calendar including Good Friday, Maundy Thursday, and a full Passion Week beginning with Palm Sunday. Yahweh’s appointed times of Passover, the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits, were no longer deemed important.
In the first centuries after Yeshua, the early disciples naturally remembered his death and resurrection every Passover, which was when it happened. And rightly so, since the Passover feast was designed from its outset to foretell the redemptive sacrifice of the Messiah. It is laden with symbolism all pointing to Yeshua, and how his death and blood would purchase our freedom, forcing death to “pass over” us as it did for the faithful Israelites who daubed the blood of the lamb on their door frames. But as the years went by, the Messianic community of Jews became increasingly dominated by Gentiles. Gentile leaders grew weary of depending upon the rabbinic authorities for the right date on which to commemorate this important event. Relations between the Rabbinic Jewish community and the Christians had deteriorated significantly by this point, and there was a lot of hostility in both directions. Finally, after over 200 years, the Western church leaders in Rome decided, at the Council of Nicaea in 325AD, to take matters into their own hands:
Here is what they wrote at the time, according to the ancient historian, Eusebius, in his [2] Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council: (Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20) See if you can hear the bitterness in the fracture of those church leaders of the time.
“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, we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter…
We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Savior has shown us another way…. We desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews.”2
Eusebius, in his [2] Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council: (Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20)
If these words are not shocking to you, they should be! The Nicaean Council decided that they would celebrate a separate festival on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox (the Spring Equinox is always March 21st in the Gregorian Calendar) to make a deliberate break with the people of Israel.
It bears reiterating that Easter is not found in the Bible even once. Again, the King James Version erroneously translates the word Pascha (from the Aramaic for Passover) to Easter in Acts 12:4. The English word “Easter” comes from “Eostre”, and was co-opted for the name of the new festival to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus—which was categorically NOT Passover.
THE IMPLICATIONS, AND THE SITUATION TODAY
It’s truly heartbreaking that such animosity developed between the Jewish and Christian communities under the domination of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century. It led to a ripping away of Yeshua’s followers from the roots of the tree that they had been grafted into. The institutional Christian religion decided to separate themselves – and all Christian people under their system – not just from the people of Israel, but also from God’s Biblical festivals. Those HOLY days (holidays) of celebration were deliberately created by God to help us appreciate more about His plan of redemption. Passover was God’s initiative. He devised each detail of it on purpose. Just because the Bible doesn’t specifically say that we are judged for not celebrating the Passover, doesn’t mean that we don’t miss out on many treasures that God placed in his word for us to learn from. It’s really more than disgraceful that the Nicaean Council decided on behalf of all Christians from that time onward that Passover had no relevance for them.
Not only were Christians cut off from the roots of their faith—their heritage, God’s own feasts, laid out in their own Bible—but also the message of Yeshua became more and more obscured and alien to the Jewish people. The church became a foreign, gentile “no-go-zone” for Jews. The two were severed apart, and the evil root of antisemitism crept into Christianity. To the discredit of the global “church” – called to be Ambassadors for Yeshua our Messiah – for much of church history, the ethnic Jewish people were persecuted, tortured and murdered at the hands of Christians for simply being Jewish. This happened especially at Easter times, when angry mobs would rage against those they considered to be “Christ killers”.3 Most Christians have no idea about the scale to which this sad statement is true—it’s not something that is taught in Sunday School or even church history classes. There is a real gap of information between the people of Israel and the church, and we’ve been separated so long that we have a lot of catching up to do!
[3] “A “Yerushalmi”, i.e. someone who lived in the Old City of Jerusalem before the State of Israel was declared, once told me that in this part of the world they would barricade their doors on Easter Sunday, knowing that the traditional Christian procession would often end in rioting against the local Jews. Communal Jewish history is made up of commandments, holidays and customs, but also of this type of memory.” Rochel Sylvetsky, israelnationalnews.com, 31/12/17. For a very brief taste of some of the horrors that have happened throughout history, see this concise chart: http://www.hearnow.org/caljp.html . For a more thorough understanding of the attitude of the church fathers towards the Jews, see this article: https://oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/has-the-church-replaced-israel/
Near the top of that list in 135AD, we learn that the Roman Emperor Hadrian proclaimed his edict against all Jews, including Messianic believers. They were forbidden to practice circumcision, the reading of the Law, eating of unleavened bread at Passover or any Jewish festival. Violating this edict meant the death penalty.
The actions of the Council of Nicaea are a continuation of the division of Israel following the idolatry of King Solomon. They divorced the church from anything Jewish.
[If you are not familiar with the separation of the two houses of Israel, you can read Larry’s series of articles here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. In the previous paragraph, he intentionally used the phrase “divorced itself from anything Jewish.”]
Those of us growing up in the Christian churches have suffered the effects of that divorce for more than 1600 years – longer than the time between the exodus from Egypt and the first advent of the Messiah.
The author of our source for today’s Reclaiming Your Legacy show (Larry) quoted a profoundly pertinent observation from the book The Bridge: Crossing Over Into the Fullness of Covenant Life by Tyler Dawn Rosenquist. Listen to what she describes, that I too had never heard before.
To me, knowing the history of the fourth century CE – that Rome forcibly legislated the removal of Christians out of the synagogues and Torah keepers out of the assemblies of Messiah – Christians celebrating Christmas and Easter seem very much like children celebrating the consequences of having a broken home. Without the Christians, the Jews lost their Messiah and without the Jews, the Christians lost their inheritance. It’s like a child celebrating the absence of a parent who wasn’t even a bad parent. Christmas and Easter happened because of a broken home, and that grieves me – it doesn’t make me want to celebrate. At one point all believers in Yeshua were called Nazarene Jews, for hundreds of years – Rome robbed us of a stable home life.
The Apostle Peter, after healing the lame man in Jerusalem soon after the first New Testament “Day of Pentecost,” charged his listeners to repent. Then he said that “Jesus, the Christ” is “appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21).
It seems that a measure of that restoration is taking place in our day. The followers of Yeshua (Jesus) are returning to “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). There was no Easter when those words were penned. The disciples observed the appointed times of God, established in His Torah (as the Moedim), that you can read about in Leviticus chapter 23.
As we get back to honoring this today, the man-made/church-made holidays that replaced God’s “appointed times” (Moedim or ‘seasons’) become less and less significant, sometimes even repulsive. For some, the transition is quick and easy. For others, it may be more difficult and take a little longer. The Holy Spirit will deal with those who are seeking truth, and it is not necessary for us to “help” in ways that too often come across as harsh or condemning.
This year, 2024, Passover on the Jewish calendar happens three weeks after the Christian Easter. Why? Because historically the Christian church has rejected the Hebraic roots of the faith. We do not advocate for the correctness of either date; I am only pointing out that this year the Gospel story reflected in these celebrations is out of order. It will happen again in 2027, then not again until 2035. This year, questions will be raised, and we need to have answers – answers that draw us and those we talk with into a deeper walk, a deeper obedience, and a deeper relationship with the Messiah. It’s time to end the division and seek restoration and reconciliation.
Another big confusion that resulted from the dictates of Roman church bishops in the fourth century is about the introduction of “Good Friday.”
It’s natural to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, but the idea of a Friday crucifixion is a major incorrect tradition that was established by the Roman institutional church.
Most of us in modern church traditions have been unknowingly influenced by much lack of knowledge of historical and cultural backgrounds. It’s unfortunate that many well-meaning evangelicals take such hard positions without being Bereans to “test all things” and realize we all suffer from a “lack of knowledge” in many areas. Our opinions must not be presented as ‘dogmas’ when careful diligence in research exposes glaring inconsistencies that can make our positions embarrassing. Jesus meant exactly what He said in Matthew 12:40. Three days and three nights can never mean only one full day and two nights.
JEWS AND GENTILES DRAW TOGETHER IN YESHUA
We live in exciting days. The last century has seen some colossal steps forward in healing the terrible rift between Jews and Gentiles. Christian ministries to Jews report that more Jewish people have come to believe in Yeshua as Messiah in the last 19 years than in the previous 19 centuries combined! Remarkably, many Gentile believers are now taking more interest in the Jewish foundations of their faith. Many churches now hold Passover seders, explaining more about the Biblical Feast of Unleavened Bread, beginning with Passover, and ending with the feast of First Fruits. There has been much more appreciation of the people of ethnic and religious Israel since the Bible became widely translated and published in the last few centuries.
We are destined to become “One New Man” in Messiah, and this is a destiny at which God will make absolutely sure that we arrive. His Son, Yeshua, will have only one bride, not two! It’s important to remember what Yeshua’s death and resurrection actually accomplished and meant. As Paul urges us in his letter to the gentile church in Colossae… (Colossians 2:14-17)…
“When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive, together with Him, when He pardoned us all our transgressions. He wiped out the handwritten record of debts with the decrees against us, which was hostile to us. He took it away by nailing it to the cross. After disarming the principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
Therefore, do not let anyone pass judgment on you in matters of food or drink, or in respect to a festival or new moon or Shabbat. These are a foreshadowing of things to come, but the reality is Messiah.”
Colossians 2:14-17
See the Reclaiming Your Legacy episode, “Since Christ is Our Passover why do Christians celebrate Easter?” at https://reclaimyourlegacy.com/2024/03/30/since-christ-is-our-passover-why-do-christians-celebrate-easter/. There are some long held secrets, waiting to be discovered in what is shared in that broadcast. Listen closely because we’re exploring several “caverns” of Bible History that most of our Christian peers have never heard before in their lives.
Some thoughts on “Why Does Easter Come Before Passover?”
The Rabbinic Jewish calendar has a slight solar drift that causes it, in 3 years out of every 19, to set Unleavened Bread at the second full moon after the equinox. This year, 2024, is one of those years. Meanwhile the Gregorian lunar calendar sets Eastertide to the first full moon after the equinox where, according to Josephus, Passover was celebrated in the 1st century.
Eastern Orthodox Christian’s Pascha is always after Passover. It is part of the formula and the use of the Julian Calendar.
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