Is it really valid to say that the Holy Bible teaches the observance of a popular celebration of the resurrection of Jesus The True Messiah, and refer to the celebration using the term “easter”? Or is it true that the term “easter” is not in the sacred text at all and rather was added only in the King James translation in place of the actual correct translation which is “Passover”? What should the true Church be teaching in this regard about Christ and His victory over the grave? Listen in as Pastor Landis sheds some light on this practice of Christendom and also other pertinent issues in today’s lesson as we resume our current study in the epistle of First John.
Old Testament Scripture Reading: Leviticus 16:29 – 17:14 (NASB)
Lev 16:29 “And this shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls, and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you;
Lev 16:30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Lev 16:31 “It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.
Lev 16:32 “So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments,
Lev 16:33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary; and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.
Lev 16:34 “Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so he did.
Lev 17:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Lev 17:2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded, saying,
Lev 17:3 “Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, or a lamb, or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp,
Lev 17:4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguiltiness is to be reckoned to that man. He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people.
Lev 17:5 “The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the LORD, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD.
Lev 17:6 “And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to the LORD.
Lev 17:7 “And they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations.”‘
Lev 17:8 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
Lev 17:9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man also shall be cut off from his people.
Lev 17:10 ‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
Lev 17:11 ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’
Lev 17:12 “Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.’
Lev 17:13 “So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
Lev 17:14 “For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.’
New Testament Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:1 – 7 (NASB)
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith.
1 John 5:5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.
1 John 5:7 And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.
Transforming Power Statements:
1) The word from the Greek in Acts 12:4 {pascha} that for years has been ‘mis-translated “easter” is taught in main-stream churches the world round. I do not believe Jesus Christ is honored by this nor would He approve of it in that the real translation is PASSOVER!
#2) What Jesus Christ accomplished for the entire world is “The TRUE PASSOVER” which is the fulfillment of the previously foreshadowed ones in archaic bible history.
#3) No matter what is taught concerning this important truth by others, it is of the utmost of importance that we teach the exact truth since Jesus said that the truth shall make us free.
