Resurrection Sunday

Many Christians call this day "Resurrection Sunday". It is believed by many that Christ was crucified on what is termed "Good Friday" and resurrected on "Easter" or "Resurrection" Sunday. As is the case with many of the customs and traditions the West has adopted from ancient pagan civilizations, such is this one.

The problem with this belief is that it actually is diametrically opposite of what Jesus revealed to us as proclaimed in the gospels. It seems that many believe in Jesus, but few actually believe most of what he said.  He spoke on many occasions about his imminent death, burial and resurrection. Matthew 12:38-40  "Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Also, read Matthew 15:32, 26:61, 27:40, 63, Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:34, 14:58-59, John 2:19-20.

You would think, as it is a major theme in the teachings of Jesus, it would demand our attention. Yet our entire religious system today is based on a Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday theology. How can this be? I have yet to find one person who can come up with three days and three nights in this scenario. Where does this concept come from? I asked that very question in a Sunday School class on Easter Sunday once and, after some uneasy moments of silence on the part of our teacher, I was told it made no difference.

Well, if you have ever taken the time to contemplate this seeming contradiction and feel it matters to you to know the truth, take heart. There is an answer, but it cannot be found in most, if not all, Christian denominations. It lies in the Old Testament, the part of the bible Christians have been taught has been nailed to the cross. It is, however, found in the teachings of the Spring feasts of God given to Israel; specifically Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

I would think that most Christians would be somewhat familiar with these, especially Passover, through the story of the children of Israel being released from Egyptian bondage. I would also dare to think that it has not escaped most of us that the lamb sacrificed on Passover represented our savior, who we are told in scripture is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The duality is inescapable.

Jesus is indeed our Passover and, as such, was crucified on Passover. That year, Passover fell on a Wednesday. The following day was the first Day of Unleavened Bread, a high Holy Sabbath. That is why Jesus had to be removed from the cross before sundown, for the Sabbath drew nigh. He was in the grave Wednesday night, all day Thursday, Thursday night and all day Friday, Friday night and all day Saturday, rising at the end of the weekly Sabbath right before sunset. When the women approached the tomb early Sunday morning, they found it empty. He had already risen,

For those who are interested in embracing truth rather than tradition, there is so much to be learned from studying the Festivals of God. They contain the entire plan of God for mankind and how Jesus is at the center of each one in their seasons. The bible cannot be fully understood without this knowledge, for they open up scripture in ways the traditional teachings of Christianity can never satisfy. The symbols and customs of ancient paganism have so infiltrated the Church that it has obscured the clear teachings of our bibles and kept millions of sincere Christians from the faith once delivered to the saints.