THE LORD’S PASSOVER
Rev. Steve Marlowe, Evangelist for Christ
Christ is our Passover. Scholars think Christ’s true name is Yeshua, which is an Aramaic name, however, the apostle Paul at his conversion heard the Savior’s name in Hebrew (Acts 26:14-15). He later wrote in his epistle to the Philippians, that, “He has the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9-11). YAH, or “the I AM” (HaYAH), is “the name which is above every name” given to Moses (Exodus 3:13-15). The Savior told the people that He is YAH, “I AM” (John 8:58). The Savior of the whole world has the name YAH (I AM). Behold the name of salvation: YAHSHUA, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Therefore, all other names, Jesus, Iesus, Iesous, etc., are counterfeits. Christ was the fulfillment of the lamb sacrificed for Passover as Christians now partake in the communion of His body and blood, which was sanctioned by Christ to be done annually on Passover (Nisan 14). That means Passover occurs on Nisan 14. The universally accepted calendar in use today is called the Gregorian calendar. In this reference frame, Nisan 14 occurs sometime in March or April during a full moon. Halleluyah, Praise YAH, Praise YAHSHUA!
The prophet Isaiah told us this: “Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation’” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV).
Passover in the Bible is found in the book of Exodus when God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites in Egypt to mark their houses with the blood of a lamb so that the Lord would "pass over" their house and spare their firstborn son (Exodus 12).
The Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 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 no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."
Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the LORD's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. (Exodus 12:1-28)
God's instructions about the Passover appear in other parts of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). These include references in Numbers 9:1-4, Numbers 28:16-25, Deuteronomy 16:1-6, and Leviticus 23:4-8. These other references show that God did not intend the Passover as a one-time event, but an annual feast where the Israelites would remember how God had saved them. The early church celebrated annually Passover in that Christ is our Passover right up to 70 CE when Jerusalem was destroyed.
“These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover. 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. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work” (Leviticus 23:4-8).
The Feast of the Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar) and lasts seven days. Unleavened bread is a reminder of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt. This Passover was fulfilled in Christ, whose body was sacrificed, and whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.
The Last Supper: YAHSHUA’S Passover with the Disciples came at least twice when they came to Jerusalem to observe Passover. He came at the start of His ministry when He cleared the temple and declared that if the temple was destroyed, he would rebuild it in three days (John 2:13-22). When YAHSHUA came the next time, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, He and the disciples got a private room for observing Passover.
"And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, "Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us." And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. And as they were reclining at the table and eating, YAHSHUA said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, "Is it I?" He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born" (Mark 14:12-21).
Is There a Relation Between Easter and Passover?
Passover (or Pascha) sanctified Israel's time and life as a sign pointing them to the coming Incarnation of the Lord YAHSHUA the Christ. In this annual feast, they were to remember Him and what He did for them in delivering them from Egyptian bondage. But more importantly, it pointed them to His, the God of Israel, coming in the flesh. When John the Baptist saw YAHSHUA, he told his followers, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The Israelites were to know Him in the blood of a slain lamb, a sign pointing to Him as “the Lamb of God.” Yet when He, our God, our Rock, became incarnate, they did not recognize their own LORD who had delivered them from Egypt (John 1:11).
When YAHSHUA and His disciples had the Passover meal in Jerusalem, He took the wine and bread to represent His sacrifice and thereby the communion of their souls with His. After speaking from Exodus 12, He gave the elements more significance, as it is written, "Now as they were eating, YAHSHUA took bread, and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). This was added to the annual Passover celebration for all those who truly follow Christ, and who were baptized in His name.
By saying these words, YAHSHUA claimed something about himself that shifted how His followers saw Passover: he claimed to be “the Passover lamb.” This theme continues in the later books of the New Testament, demonstrating the annual Christian celebration of the Lord’s Passover, as found particularly in the epistles.
"Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
"Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:8).
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:18-19).
"They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death" (Revelation 12:11).
Is The Name “Easter” of Pagan Origin?
All the fun things about Easter are pagan and have nothing to do with the Lord’s Passover, which makes these things an abomination in the sight of our Savior. Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre. The once popular “hot cross buns” are related to baking sweet buns for an idol, and there was a time when Christian religious leaders tried to put a stop to it. Eventually, “defiant cake-baking pagan women” were successful, and hot cross buns were Christianized. The name “Easter” was derived from “Eostre,” originally a Saxon word, denoting a goddess, in honor of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. This very fact causes many to wonder if the misnomer Easter is a pagan holiday and if it should be celebrated by Christians. Due to the origin and connection of the name Easter to a goddess, Christians should not use the offensive term “Easter”. According to our Lord and Savior, without a doubt to all those who read and understand the Bible, labeling our “Lord’s Passover” with the substitute term “Easter” is an abomination!
The origins of the name “Easter” are wrapped up in a celebration of seasonal renewal that has taken place for thousands of years around the time of the Spring Equinox. The fact that a Christian version of Easter exists merely perpetuates a pagan age-old, familiar theme of renewal and fertility rather than honoring the actual Person of Christ! This Easter event in Christianity perpetuates false religion not according to the God of the Bible. It is of the traditions of men and not according to the revelation of God. Would not our Lord and Savior’s response to this be similar to all traditions of men? “He (YAHSHUA) answered and said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…’. He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:6-9).
Pagan Origins of Easter are according to an ancient Sumerian legend of Tammuz and his mother/wife Ishtar, also known as Semiramis who was married to Nimrod, when Tammuz’s, supposed, father Nimrod dies, according to legend by the hand of Esau, son of Isaac. Esau, who after killing Nimrod, escaped running for his life. He finally gets home to encounter his brother Jacob making red stew and begs Jacob for it. Jacob offers the stew to Esau for a price, Esau’s birthright. Jacob was the twin of Esau, who ended up being born first and was considered the firstborn of Isaac. Esau sells his birthright thinking that the Sumerians would eventually catch up with him, and he says, “Look, I am about to die, so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob says, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore (see Genesis 25:29-34).
Meanwhile, Semiramis (Ishtar), Nimrod’s wife is grief-stricken by her husband’s death, the king of Sumer, and she becomes more fearful of the loss of her status as Queen. Here according to legend, in her grief, the earth supposedly loses all fertility, the crops cease to grow, and humans and animals stop reproducing. Unless something is done everything is in jeopardy. She devises a plan to ensure her status as Queen. She, several months after Nimrod’s death, becomes mysteriously pregnant but claims Nimrod caused the pregnancy, despite being dead. She gets the priests to reveal to the Sumerians that Nimrod rose to heaven to become the Sun god, at which time he sends a sunbeam allegedly causing her pregnancy. She gives birth and names the boy Tammuz, son of Nimrod, but with a twist. Tammuz is also the reincarnation of Nimrod. Now she rules supreme as Queen regent for the young prince, and later when Tammuz is of age, she, although his mother, marries the prince because, as has been established by the priests of Sumer, Tammuz is the reincarnation of Nimrod. The goddess Ishtar (Semiramis or Easter) is the reason for the season. Since this myth was discovered on tablets dating back to around 2500 BC, Tammuz and Ishtar instigated as the protagonists of the first pagan Easter story, as Tammuz is the reincarnated (sun) god, and Ishtar (also known by many names due to the tower of Babel confusion of languages, one name being Semiramis) becomes the first “mother of god” and is known according to the lore of paganism as “the black Madonna”. Many of these figurines of the black Madonna can still be seen in museums today.
The Roman Catholic church is familiar with the Black Madonna of paganism, and her popularity among pagans who converted to Christianity but still hold to their former traditions. Despite attempts by the church to eradicate these pagan traditions, in time, the church eventually Christianized these very traditions. Bunnies are a leftover from the pagan festival of Eostre. Hot cross buns are related to baking sweet buns for an idol, and continue today due to the failure of religious Christian leadership trying to put a stop to it. Eventually, defiant cake-baking pagan women were successful and a cross was added to the buns to Christianize them. Today we eat chocolate bunnies and hunt for colorful eggs. The hare and egg are symbols associated with Eostre, representing the beginning of Springtime. In mythology, it is said that Ostara a.k.a. Eostre (a.k.a. Easter, or Semiramis) healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts.
One draws parallels between the story of Christ and the epic of Ishtar or Eostre. The story is structured and embellished by a pattern that was very ancient and widespread. Other cultures inherited the same pagan religion from Babylon and sacrificial heroes have included Tammuz by other names, such as Attis, lover of Cybele, both of them gods, but Attis was born of a virgin. Attis comes of age and becomes Cybele’s lover, although he is also her son. Attis fell in love with a mortal and chose to marry. In response to Cybele’s rage due to her insecurity of losing power over the kingdom, Attis fled to the nearby mountains where he gradually became insane, eventually committing suicide. She regained her sanity and appealed to Zeus to never allow Attis’s corpse to decay. Every year, he would return to life during the yearly rebirth of vegetation; thus identifying Attis as an early dying-and-reviving god figure. Other gods associated with resurrection include Horus, Mithras, and Dionysus. Dionysus was a divine child, resurrected by his grandmother. Dionysus also brought his mother, Semele (Semiramis or Ishtar), back to life. The Sumerian goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, was hung naked on a stake and was subsequently resurrected and ascended from the underworld. All these variations come from one source, Sumeria.
YAHSHUA, the Only Savior
Many of these stories are similar to the Christian account. Christ was born of a virgin. He died on the cross and was resurrected. But there are foreshadows of the crucifixion from Genesis to Malachi, and the Passover. The entire Bible is the story of YAH, who is our only Savior YAHSHUA — not a fictional story, but the history of creation, fall, and redemption. Events in Genesis are dated to before 4000 BC, and the offering of Isaac to around 2054 BC. These events predate some pagan mythology and are contemporary with other man-made myths. Yet, even when men and women worshipped false gods, the Lord had the last word. Pastors of churches preach of the connections of the nine plagues in Egypt with Egypt’s gods: Khnum, River god (blood), Heket, frog goddess (frogs), Imhotep, healing god (boils), and so on. The point is God, Himself, was showing He reigns supreme over any false gods who try to usurp Him by instigation of demons or mankind. Elijah declared to the Baal worshipers and Israel’s enemies, in that the god who answers by fire — he is God” (1 Kings 18:24). Baal was impotent before the power of the Lord YAH. “Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38). It is also no coincidence that Christianity persists today with the number of believers rising daily, two millennia after Christ’s death and resurrection. Christ’s existence is historically verifiable, and His resurrection is backed by evidence. Meanwhile, the myths of Sumeria and Egypt have retained all the power of a fake goddess (Semiramis, Ishtar). While pagan gods were remote and impotent, the Christian God is omnipotent yet personal. Christ was “the one and only” sacrifice for all sin, for all time, for all who believe; not as part of a seasonal cycle. Christians die to sin, share in Christ’s suffering, and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven as co-heirs with the Messiah the Lord YAH, our Savior YAHSHUA. They enjoy the hope of eternal life. It’s no coincidence that Jerusalem would be built on the site where Isaac was nearly sacrificed. Outside the city gates, YAHSHUA was crucified.
Is it Okay for Christians to Celebrate “Easter?”
For many people around the world, “Easter” is only a name, adopted and transformed over centuries to become, albeit unrelated, a Christ-centered reference until now when recent generations no longer recognize the name of Christ as anything more than an expletive. However, using the name Easter is problematic despite false priests, pastors, and teachers denying it. It should matter that the origin of something not of the God of the Bible is idolatrous whether in word or symbolism. If we want to “be consistent and avoid using pagan words,” we must eliminate all that is not from God! Christians will not have to find new names for the planets and the days of the week, which is not within the realm of worship. “Christians remember that Christ, after dying on the cross, rose from the dead, showing that life could win over death. For Christians, the pagan symbol of the egg is not a symbol of the tomb while many may attempt to associate the cracking of the egg representing Christ’s resurrection, this must be seen as misleading, inaccurate, and an “out in out lie.” In the Orthodox tradition, eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Christ shed on the cross. Easter must be rooted out as traditions not of God cannot be redeemed, and the fun of Easter is still no longer permissible, any more than worshiping an idol. Pagan worship has utilized orgies as a means of worship, and although it may be considered fun, it is not appropriate for a Christian. Do not fall into the trap of those who rationalize that God examines the heart, which affords them to continue to do that which is wrong only to be exonerated as one with a heart of good intentions, which they think God will recognize.
“As at Christmas, so also at Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals–in this instance, connected with spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg and the Easter hare or rabbit” (THE ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, Vol. 4, p. 605). Therefore, we find that the popular customs associated with the Easter celebration–rabbits, Easter egg hunts, and sunrise services–have nothing to do with the biblical record of Christ’s life, in this case, His rising from the dead. The word Easter, unfortunately, appears in the King James Version of the Bible but is not the word original to the New Testament. The original word found in Acts 12:4 is Pascha, meaning Passover. Modern translations have correctly translated the word “Passover,” as the King James Version has also done in other verses (Matthew 26:2, 17-19; Mark 14:12; 1 Corinthians 5:7). Apparently, the King James Version of the Bible translators mistranslated Acts 12:4 by using Easter falsely in place of Passover. “Pascha…mistranslated ‘Easter’ in Acts 12:4, KJV, denotes the Passover… The term ‘Easter’ is not of Christian origin. It… one of the titles of the Chaldean goddess, the queen of heaven. The Festival of Pascha [Passover] held by Christians in post-apostolic times was a continuation of the Jewish Feast… From this Pascha, the Pagan festival of ‘Easter’ was quite distinct and was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals into Christianity (see “Easter,” Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, p. 192, 1985). Anything connected to the goddess worship, its symbolism, words, etc. is considered an abomination (2 Kings 23:13). All paganism no matter how fun it is perceived to be, must be discarded. Mary the virgin mother of YAHSHUA has been falsely claimed by Paganized Christianity to be the Queen of Heaven, but this is an abominable lie (Jeremiah 7:18). Man created these gods to gain power over his fellow man through ignorance, and which contradicted the true God’s commandments (Exodus 20:3-6). The Lord YAH inspired the prophet Jeremiah to take the people to task for their mixture of true religion and pagan practices. It is clearly stated why celebrating Easter for any reason, or for any kind of rationalization, is displeasing to the One true God. “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentile [pagans] are dismayed at them. For [their] the customs of the people are futile…” (Jeremiah 10:2-3). Clearly, even the Christmas tree is of pagan origin.
This is a presentation of The Nazarean Ministry of YAHSHUA
