Celebrating Easter as a commemoration of the Resurrection and not the Passover makes a mockery of the Scriptures and puts man’s tradition and authority over the Word. To declare that the death, burial, and resurrection happened between Friday night and Sunday morning is a blatant lie and misrepresentation of the Biblical facts. It calls into question the accuracy of the Word and makes the Lord a liar. It disqualifies the Passover as a literal prophetic event fulfilled by Yeshua and makes the unbelieving world mock believers.
I would almost go as far as to say that—for those who know the truth of this and refuse to adhere to it or teach it—their actions are close to blasphemy.
Here is the definition of blasphemy, you decide.
Definition of BLASPHEMY from Merriam-Webster
1a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for the Lord.
b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
To ignore the truth of His Word is to hold contempt for it. You have then made the decision to exalt your authority over His word and have shown full irreverence to His revelation.
So with this in mind, I will continue to pose my thesis. I will back it up fully by using the Word in context.
The only way the resurrection makes any sense at all is if Yeshua dies on Wednesday before sundown and rises again three days later on Saturday before sundown. This would be 72 hours, 3 full days. After all, Yeshua said…
Matthew 12
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(3 days and 3 nights, not a part of the day) What part of this statement does the “Church” not understand?
The Biblical Holy Days were called moadim (appointed times and seasons). They were appointments that could only be kept by Yeshua Himself. Why would anyone want to dismiss or minimize these great prophetic events? Let’s look Biblically at why they are so important.
The “Church” says that “Easter” is a celebration of Yeshua’s resurrection from the grave and they want to honor that time- changing event; yet, they deny all that the Lord has given them in prophecy to verify this.
One of those appointed times closely tied to the Passover is the Holy Day of First Fruits.
1st Cor 15 declares that Yeshua is the first fruits resurrected from the dead. If we know nothing about this Biblical appointment, how are we able to understand what this New Covenant passage means?
1st Cor 15
20But now Moshiach has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.
In order for Yeshua to be the one who is the first fruit of the resurrection, He needed to rise on the day known as First Fruits, Yom ha Bikkurim. The significance of this day and its meaning is critical in understanding the resurrection.
During the spring, right before Passover, the barley crop came to a place in its growth where it was declared Aviv. This meant that the barley was in the head but not quite ripe enough to eat. As soon as the barley was in Aviv, the children of Israel were instructed to look for the sliver of the new moon. At the sighting of the new moon we were to declare the first day of the first month, count 14 days, and then began the Holy Day of Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread; after that the feast of First Fruits.
It was during this time—between the Aviv barley, the sighting of the new moon, and the 14th of the month—that barley continued to ripen so it could be harvested. Once it was harvested the children of Israel were instructed to make an offering of that barley in gratitude before the Lord. They were not allowed to eat of the new crop before they made this offering.
The observance was carried out in this manner, when the standing ripe spring harvest of barley was ready to be reaped. The celebrant would take one sheaf from the standing harvest and bring it to the priest. The lone sheaf was called "the sheaf of the first fruits." The priest was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before the
Lord in His house. This was to be done "the day after the normal weekly Shabbat," which occurred after the first day of Passover. Prescribed offerings were also to be presented along with the sheaf.
The nation of Israel was familiar with the concept of first fruits or the firstborn. The first fruits were always the choicest, the foremost, the first, the best, and preeminent of all that was to follow. They were holy to the Lord. The concept of first fruits or firstborn is a major theme in the Bible. This can be seen by the following Scriptures: Exodus 23:16,19 and 34:26; Leviticus 2:12,14 and 23:20; Numbers 18:12-15; Deuteronomy 18:1-5; 26:2-4,10; II Chronicles 31:5; Nehemiah 10:35-39; Proverbs 3:9; Jeremiah 2:3; Ezekiel 44:30; 48:14; Malachi 3:8-14; Hebrews 6:20; 7:1-8.
Everything on the earth—both man and beast—was to be presented before the Lord as first fruits to Him.
1. Yeshua is the firstborn of Miryam (Matthew 1:23-25).
2. Yeshua is the first-begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:6).
3. Yeshua is the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).
4. Yeshua is the first-begotten from the dead (Revelation 1:5).
5. Yeshua is the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29).
6. Yeshua is the first fruits of the resurrected ones (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).
7. Yeshua is the beginning of the creation of Elohim (Revelation 3:14). 8. Yeshua is the preeminent One (Colossians 1:18).
His entire life and death was wrapped up in the idea that He was the one to fulfill first fruits.
The fifteenth of Aviv began Hag HaMatzah (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), which is a high Sabbath. This high Sabbath is called a shabbaton. It did not matter what day of the week it fell on. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day feast to the Lord. The day following the weekly Sabbath during Passover is called the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11).
(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:9-14 NAS)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord. Its grain offering shall then be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its libation, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places'"
This is significant because if Yeshua is raised from the dead as a first fruit of all those resurrected, He must not miss the prophetic appointment of that day.
This simply means the death and burial had to happen during the Passover and the resurrection had to happen on First Fruits. Yeshua needed to die before sundown after the ninth hour on Passover and rise three full days later according to the Biblical calendar on First fruits.
Matthew 27
45Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46About the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli , Eli , lama sabachthani ?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” 50And Yeshua cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Also: Mark 15:33-39, Luke 23:44-49.
The passage in 1st Cor 15 says
22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming,
He had to rise first so that the rest of us could also be raised in the proper order. Just like the barley had to be offered to the Lord first before the rest of the new harvest could be eaten, this day was a prototype of the Lord’s resurrection. He is the First Fruits of the barley harvest. We are the rest of the harvest after the offering. Yeshua was presented to the father as a perfect offering of First Fruits; now the rest of the harvest (us) can be presented to the father in its proper order.
What about Passover
Leviticus 23:5-6
5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
So to sum it all up again
Yeshua was slain on the tree on the eve of the day of Passover (Pesach), the fourteenth of Nisan at twilight, the ninth hour, and He arose from the grave three days and nights after He was slain, Yeshua arose from the grave on the seventeenth of Nisan, the day of the festival of First Fruits. This day would be the day after the weekly Shabbat during the week of Passover—three days and three nights in the earth.
1st Cor 15:3-4
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Moshiach died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
“According to the Scriptures” means according to the prophecy. He is also speaking about the day of First Fruits, (Yom ha Bikurim).
Passover is the day that was set in motion by the Lord to declare Yeshua the risen Moshiach on First Fruits, three days after His death.
It is clear in the Scriptures, and to say anything else makes the Lord a liar. It is not a trivial matter and no, I am not making too much of this. We are talking about the most important event of all time.
Acts 10:39-40
39“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40“Elohim raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,
Matthew 16:21-23
21From that time Yeshua began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Elohim forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”
Matthew 17:22-23
22And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; 23and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.
Matthew 20:17-19
17As Yeshua was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
Matthew 27:62-64
62Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day.”
Mark 8:31-33
31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”
Mark 9:30-32
30From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
Mark 10:32-34
32They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34“They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
Mark 14:55-58
55Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.
Mark 15:27-29
27They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” 29Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
Luke 9:18-22
18And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” 19They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Moshiach of Elohim.” 21But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
Luke 18:31-33
31Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32“For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”
Luke 24:1-7
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
Luke 24:13-27
13And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of Elohim and all the people, 20and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22“But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 25And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26“Was it not necessary for the Moshiach to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Luke 24:44-46
44Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Moshiach would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.”
John 2:17-22
17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19Yeshua answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua had spoken.
Without sounding smug, I just don’t see anything that would hint of anything else other than a literal three-day resurrection.
How does the Passover prophecy the death of Messiah?
In this matter I decided to copy from the website Hebrew4christians. They did an amazing job of presenting their information.
During the time of the Temple, zman shechitat korban Pesach (the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs) was performed during the afternoon hours of Nisan 14, in observance of the commandment: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings (i.e., bein ha-arbayim: is the Passover for the LORD" (Lev. 23:5). Note that the time of the lamb's sacrifice is described as "bein ha-arbayim," usually translated as "between the evenings" or "between the settings." To the sages, the "first setting" of the sun occurred at the beginning of its descent after noon, and the "second setting" referred to sundown or twilight. Hence "bein ha-arbayim" would mean sometime after noon but before twilight, or more simply, "the afternoon."
The sacrifice of the Passover lambs on the afternoon of Nisan 14 agrees with Jewish Oral Law and tradition. As Maimonides wrote, "It is a positive commandment to slaughter the Korban Pesach on the fourteenth of Nisan after midday" (Hilchot Korban Pesach). There is some discussion among the sages, however, as to whether the sacrifice of the korban Pesach occurred before or after the second set of tamid (daily) offerings made at the Temple (Exod. 29:38-42, Num. 28:1-8). In general, however, most of the sages agreed with Maimonides who clearly stated: "The Korban Pesach is not slaughtered until after the Tamid of the afternoon." In other words, the slaughter of the Passover lambs occurred on the late afternoon of Nisan 14. (My note - Wednesday after the ninth hour).
Note that though the sacrifice of the Passover lamb occurred on the afternoon Nisan 14, the ceremonial eating of the meal, or the "seder," would begin later, just before sundown and continue throughout the night. This agrees with Exod. 12:8 which states clearly that the Passover meal was consumed during the night: "They shall eat the flesh [of the Pascal lamb] that night" (i.e., ba-lailah hazeh): And since the Jewish day begins after sundown (when three stars are visible in the night sky), the traditional Passover Seder would begin just before sundown on Nisan 14 but would continue into the new day of Nisan 15, which is also the start of the seven-day festival of chag ha-matzot the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" (Lev. 23:6).
In light of all this, perhaps you can better appreciate why Jewish tradition regards "Passover" as an eight-day holiday, since it links the times of the korban Pesach, the Seder meal, and the seven days of unleavened bread together as a whole.
But what does the Scripture say about the Sunday morning resurrection?
Here are all of the accounts of the resurrection passages; take note that not one of them says anything about the resurrection happening on a Sunday morning.
Matthew 28 Yeshua Is Risen!
1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
Yeshua is already gone by the time the women arrive in the very early morning. They arrive just as the sun is rising. It is after the Shabbat, which happened at sundown the day before. As for the guards, this is just a description of what happened previously before the arrival of the women. There is no mention of the time of resurrection. There is not even an inference of idea that he had risen in the morning. All that it describes is the arrival of the women. Read the rest of the text for yourself. I double dog dare you.
It is almost the exact same for every other resurrection passage in the rest of the three Gospels.
Mark 16 The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Yeshua the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
Just like “Where’s Waldo?” Where’s Messiah? He is already risen.
Luke 24 The Resurrection
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen.
John 20 The Empty Tomb
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
Need I say anymore? The sad part of this little study is that all a preacher has to do is read the simple narrative of the Scripture and the truth comes out.
If your Pastor is still going to spread the lie about Easter and you refuse to lovingly challenge him on this, then you have already drunk the “Kool Aid” and I feel sorry for you. But instead, why don’t you examine the Scripture for yourself, do the study, and prove me wrong or right. I do hope you except my challenge this time around.
A blessed Passover and First fruits and all that it declares about our risen Moshiach, (Messiah) Yeshua.
Rabbi Henry
I would almost go as far as to say that—for those who know the truth of this and refuse to adhere to it or teach it—their actions are close to blasphemy.
Here is the definition of blasphemy, you decide.
Definition of BLASPHEMY from Merriam-Webster
1a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for the Lord.
b : the act of claiming the attributes of deity
2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
To ignore the truth of His Word is to hold contempt for it. You have then made the decision to exalt your authority over His word and have shown full irreverence to His revelation.
So with this in mind, I will continue to pose my thesis. I will back it up fully by using the Word in context.
The only way the resurrection makes any sense at all is if Yeshua dies on Wednesday before sundown and rises again three days later on Saturday before sundown. This would be 72 hours, 3 full days. After all, Yeshua said…
Matthew 12
38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(3 days and 3 nights, not a part of the day) What part of this statement does the “Church” not understand?
The Biblical Holy Days were called moadim (appointed times and seasons). They were appointments that could only be kept by Yeshua Himself. Why would anyone want to dismiss or minimize these great prophetic events? Let’s look Biblically at why they are so important.
The “Church” says that “Easter” is a celebration of Yeshua’s resurrection from the grave and they want to honor that time- changing event; yet, they deny all that the Lord has given them in prophecy to verify this.
One of those appointed times closely tied to the Passover is the Holy Day of First Fruits.
1st Cor 15 declares that Yeshua is the first fruits resurrected from the dead. If we know nothing about this Biblical appointment, how are we able to understand what this New Covenant passage means?
1st Cor 15
20But now Moshiach has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.
In order for Yeshua to be the one who is the first fruit of the resurrection, He needed to rise on the day known as First Fruits, Yom ha Bikkurim. The significance of this day and its meaning is critical in understanding the resurrection.
During the spring, right before Passover, the barley crop came to a place in its growth where it was declared Aviv. This meant that the barley was in the head but not quite ripe enough to eat. As soon as the barley was in Aviv, the children of Israel were instructed to look for the sliver of the new moon. At the sighting of the new moon we were to declare the first day of the first month, count 14 days, and then began the Holy Day of Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread; after that the feast of First Fruits.
It was during this time—between the Aviv barley, the sighting of the new moon, and the 14th of the month—that barley continued to ripen so it could be harvested. Once it was harvested the children of Israel were instructed to make an offering of that barley in gratitude before the Lord. They were not allowed to eat of the new crop before they made this offering.
The observance was carried out in this manner, when the standing ripe spring harvest of barley was ready to be reaped. The celebrant would take one sheaf from the standing harvest and bring it to the priest. The lone sheaf was called "the sheaf of the first fruits." The priest was then to take this one sheaf and wave it before the
Lord in His house. This was to be done "the day after the normal weekly Shabbat," which occurred after the first day of Passover. Prescribed offerings were also to be presented along with the sheaf.
The nation of Israel was familiar with the concept of first fruits or the firstborn. The first fruits were always the choicest, the foremost, the first, the best, and preeminent of all that was to follow. They were holy to the Lord. The concept of first fruits or firstborn is a major theme in the Bible. This can be seen by the following Scriptures: Exodus 23:16,19 and 34:26; Leviticus 2:12,14 and 23:20; Numbers 18:12-15; Deuteronomy 18:1-5; 26:2-4,10; II Chronicles 31:5; Nehemiah 10:35-39; Proverbs 3:9; Jeremiah 2:3; Ezekiel 44:30; 48:14; Malachi 3:8-14; Hebrews 6:20; 7:1-8.
Everything on the earth—both man and beast—was to be presented before the Lord as first fruits to Him.
- The firstborn of both man and beast were sanctified (made holy) and presented to the Lord (Exodus 13:2; 22:29).
- The first fruits of all the earth were presented to the Lord at His altar in praise and thanksgiving (Deuteronomy 26:1-11).
1. Yeshua is the firstborn of Miryam (Matthew 1:23-25).
2. Yeshua is the first-begotten of the Father (Hebrews 1:6).
3. Yeshua is the firstborn of every creature (Colossians 1:15).
4. Yeshua is the first-begotten from the dead (Revelation 1:5).
5. Yeshua is the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29).
6. Yeshua is the first fruits of the resurrected ones (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23).
7. Yeshua is the beginning of the creation of Elohim (Revelation 3:14). 8. Yeshua is the preeminent One (Colossians 1:18).
His entire life and death was wrapped up in the idea that He was the one to fulfill first fruits.
The fifteenth of Aviv began Hag HaMatzah (the Feast of Unleavened Bread), which is a high Sabbath. This high Sabbath is called a shabbaton. It did not matter what day of the week it fell on. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a seven-day feast to the Lord. The day following the weekly Sabbath during Passover is called the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-11).
(Leviticus [Vayikra] 23:9-14 NAS)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the Lord. Its grain offering shall then be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its libation, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places'"
This is significant because if Yeshua is raised from the dead as a first fruit of all those resurrected, He must not miss the prophetic appointment of that day.
This simply means the death and burial had to happen during the Passover and the resurrection had to happen on First Fruits. Yeshua needed to die before sundown after the ninth hour on Passover and rise three full days later according to the Biblical calendar on First fruits.
Matthew 27
45Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46About the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli , Eli , lama sabachthani ?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.” 50And Yeshua cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Also: Mark 15:33-39, Luke 23:44-49.
The passage in 1st Cor 15 says
22For as in Adam all die, so also in Moshiach all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Moshiach the first fruits, after that those who are Moshiach’s at His coming,
He had to rise first so that the rest of us could also be raised in the proper order. Just like the barley had to be offered to the Lord first before the rest of the new harvest could be eaten, this day was a prototype of the Lord’s resurrection. He is the First Fruits of the barley harvest. We are the rest of the harvest after the offering. Yeshua was presented to the father as a perfect offering of First Fruits; now the rest of the harvest (us) can be presented to the father in its proper order.
What about Passover
Leviticus 23:5-6
5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
So to sum it all up again
Yeshua was slain on the tree on the eve of the day of Passover (Pesach), the fourteenth of Nisan at twilight, the ninth hour, and He arose from the grave three days and nights after He was slain, Yeshua arose from the grave on the seventeenth of Nisan, the day of the festival of First Fruits. This day would be the day after the weekly Shabbat during the week of Passover—three days and three nights in the earth.
1st Cor 15:3-4
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Moshiach died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
“According to the Scriptures” means according to the prophecy. He is also speaking about the day of First Fruits, (Yom ha Bikurim).
Passover is the day that was set in motion by the Lord to declare Yeshua the risen Moshiach on First Fruits, three days after His death.
It is clear in the Scriptures, and to say anything else makes the Lord a liar. It is not a trivial matter and no, I am not making too much of this. We are talking about the most important event of all time.
Acts 10:39-40
39“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40“Elohim raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,
Matthew 16:21-23
21From that time Yeshua began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Elohim forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”
Matthew 17:22-23
22And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men; 23and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.
Matthew 20:17-19
17As Yeshua was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, 18“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, 19and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
Matthew 27:62-64
62Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, 63and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ 64Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day.”
Mark 8:31-33
31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on Elohim’s interests, but man’s.”
Mark 9:30-32
30From there they went out and began to go through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know about it. 31For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise three days later.” 32But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.
Mark 10:32-34
32They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Yeshua was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him, 33saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34“They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”
Mark 14:55-58
55Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain testimony against Yeshua to put Him to death, and they were not finding any. 56For many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony was not consistent. 57Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.
Mark 15:27-29
27They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.” 29Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
Luke 9:18-22
18And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” 19They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Moshiach of Elohim.” 21But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”
Luke 18:31-33
31Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32“For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”
Luke 24:1-7
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
Luke 24:13-27
13And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. 17And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of Elohim and all the people, 20and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22“But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” 25And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26“Was it not necessary for the Moshiach to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Luke 24:44-46
44Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Moshiach would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day.”
John 2:17-22
17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” 19Yeshua answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua had spoken.
Without sounding smug, I just don’t see anything that would hint of anything else other than a literal three-day resurrection.
How does the Passover prophecy the death of Messiah?
In this matter I decided to copy from the website Hebrew4christians. They did an amazing job of presenting their information.
During the time of the Temple, zman shechitat korban Pesach (the time of the slaughter of the Passover lambs) was performed during the afternoon hours of Nisan 14, in observance of the commandment: "In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings (i.e., bein ha-arbayim: is the Passover for the LORD" (Lev. 23:5). Note that the time of the lamb's sacrifice is described as "bein ha-arbayim," usually translated as "between the evenings" or "between the settings." To the sages, the "first setting" of the sun occurred at the beginning of its descent after noon, and the "second setting" referred to sundown or twilight. Hence "bein ha-arbayim" would mean sometime after noon but before twilight, or more simply, "the afternoon."
The sacrifice of the Passover lambs on the afternoon of Nisan 14 agrees with Jewish Oral Law and tradition. As Maimonides wrote, "It is a positive commandment to slaughter the Korban Pesach on the fourteenth of Nisan after midday" (Hilchot Korban Pesach). There is some discussion among the sages, however, as to whether the sacrifice of the korban Pesach occurred before or after the second set of tamid (daily) offerings made at the Temple (Exod. 29:38-42, Num. 28:1-8). In general, however, most of the sages agreed with Maimonides who clearly stated: "The Korban Pesach is not slaughtered until after the Tamid of the afternoon." In other words, the slaughter of the Passover lambs occurred on the late afternoon of Nisan 14. (My note - Wednesday after the ninth hour).
Note that though the sacrifice of the Passover lamb occurred on the afternoon Nisan 14, the ceremonial eating of the meal, or the "seder," would begin later, just before sundown and continue throughout the night. This agrees with Exod. 12:8 which states clearly that the Passover meal was consumed during the night: "They shall eat the flesh [of the Pascal lamb] that night" (i.e., ba-lailah hazeh): And since the Jewish day begins after sundown (when three stars are visible in the night sky), the traditional Passover Seder would begin just before sundown on Nisan 14 but would continue into the new day of Nisan 15, which is also the start of the seven-day festival of chag ha-matzot the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" (Lev. 23:6).
In light of all this, perhaps you can better appreciate why Jewish tradition regards "Passover" as an eight-day holiday, since it links the times of the korban Pesach, the Seder meal, and the seven days of unleavened bread together as a whole.
But what does the Scripture say about the Sunday morning resurrection?
Here are all of the accounts of the resurrection passages; take note that not one of them says anything about the resurrection happening on a Sunday morning.
Matthew 28 Yeshua Is Risen!
1Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
Yeshua is already gone by the time the women arrive in the very early morning. They arrive just as the sun is rising. It is after the Shabbat, which happened at sundown the day before. As for the guards, this is just a description of what happened previously before the arrival of the women. There is no mention of the time of resurrection. There is not even an inference of idea that he had risen in the morning. All that it describes is the arrival of the women. Read the rest of the text for yourself. I double dog dare you.
It is almost the exact same for every other resurrection passage in the rest of the three Gospels.
Mark 16 The Resurrection
1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Yeshua the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
Just like “Where’s Waldo?” Where’s Messiah? He is already risen.
Luke 24 The Resurrection
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6“He is not here, but He has risen.
John 20 The Empty Tomb
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
Need I say anymore? The sad part of this little study is that all a preacher has to do is read the simple narrative of the Scripture and the truth comes out.
If your Pastor is still going to spread the lie about Easter and you refuse to lovingly challenge him on this, then you have already drunk the “Kool Aid” and I feel sorry for you. But instead, why don’t you examine the Scripture for yourself, do the study, and prove me wrong or right. I do hope you except my challenge this time around.
A blessed Passover and First fruits and all that it declares about our risen Moshiach, (Messiah) Yeshua.
Rabbi Henry
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