By Mark Blitz, WND—
On Sunday, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, the cornerstone of the Christian faith. That makes Easter the single holiest day on the Christian calendar.
But one pastor who specializes in teaching Christians about the Jewish roots of their faith has a bombshell for believers – they are celebrating on the wrong day.
Pastor Mark Biltz, discoverer of the blood-moons phenomenon and the author of “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs,” argues Christians’ abandonment of the biblical calendar has led to a strange situation in 2016, as believers will actually be celebrating Jesus rising from the dead almost a full month before the anniversary of His crucifixion.
“Why do believers celebrate the Resurrection of the Messiah before his actual death?” asked Biltz. “This is what happens when we follow the traditions of men, rather than the Bible.”
Biltz, the head of El Shaddai Ministries, argues Christians need to return to the Jewish, or biblical, calendar to properly interpret Scripture.
“The main reason for Christians to return to the biblical calendar is to understand prophetic events and to understand prophecy,” he explained. “Biblical prophecy is fulfilled according to the biblical calendar. If we want to understand what’s coming prophetically, we need to be on that calendar. How can we make the connection to what the Lord did in the past, and hope to understand what God will do in the future, when we aren’t making that initial connection?”
Biltz’s new book, “God’s Day Timer,” set for release this fall, explains how Christians have been taken off the biblical calendar and explores the catastrophic consequences of following man-made customs rather than Scripture. Easter is just one example.
As Biltz explained, in Leviticus 23:5, it says Passover should be on the 14th day of the first month. Of course, as Biltz observes, this does not mean in January, but Nisan, the first month of the biblical calendar. This year, Passover, or Nisan 14, occurs at sundown on April 22.
This year, Easter has been scheduled for March 27. This is significant, Biltz says, because he believes the Gospels clearly show Jesus died on Passover.
According to Matthew 26:17-19, the Last Supper was a Passover meal, or, as Biltz puts it, the “Last Passover Seder.” He argues this is no coincidence, but the fulfillment of God’s plan.
“Most Christians will admit Jesus had to follow the Torah to fulfill prophecy,” said Biltz. “It’s plain in the Gospel Jesus died on Passover. When you tie this in to Leviticus, you can see exactly when it was happening.”
Biltz also believes Christ instructed his followers to continue to celebrate Passover.
“The Lord said during the Last Supper, ‘Do this in memory of Me,’” he said. “Well, what He’s referring to is Passover. We should follow the biblical command. Instead, most Christians don’t do this, they simply celebrate the Resurrection. And they do that on the wrong calendar!”
Biltz argues it doesn’t make any sense for Christians to try to celebrate biblical holidays without using the biblical calendar.
“What would your spouse say if you said they were born on the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, and now you are only going to celebrate their birthday when Ramadan comes around?” asked Biltz. “They would think you are completely crazy. This is the same thing. Why would we want to pull one of the biblical celebrations and put it on a completely different calendar? How is that honoring or obeying the Lord’s command?”
Following Biltz’s logic, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection should be held on April 24.
“If Jesus fulfilled everything to the day, they know he died on Passover,” he explained. “And we know because of Leviticus 23:5 that Passover is on the 14th day of the first biblical month. So that’s when we should celebrate it. Jesus didn’t tell us to just celebrate ‘Friday’ as a day of the week.”
Biltz said Christians should celebrate the Resurrection but take care to do it “when God said according to His calendar.”
The pastor also argued the term “Easter” is problematic, as it derives from paganism, rather than anything celebrated by the early church.
Biltz charges it was the Emperor Constantine who took the early church off this calendar to begin with. He argues it was a decision motivated by anti-Semitism and “Jew hatred.”
“Constantine didn’t want anything to do with the Jews when they were setting the calendar,” said Biltz. He quotes Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea in AD 325 as saying:
“When the question relative to the sacred festival of Easter arose, it was universally thought that it would be convenient that all should keep the feast on one day; it was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of festivals, to follow the customs (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 Jew, for the Savior has shown us another way; our worship following a more legitimate and more convenient course (the order of the days of the week). And consequently in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jew. For it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast.”
Biltz says it is time for believers to reject this hateful tradition and begin honoring God’s calendar. And he argues this switch in perspective will allow Christians to more fully understand their faith and God’s plan for the end times.
“At Messiah’s first coming he fulfilled the spring feast days on the biblical calendar,” said Biltz. “He died on Passover. He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. He rose on the Feast of First Fruits. And all of this was part of God’s plan, set out from the foundation of the world, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
“At Messiah’s Second Coming, he will fulfill the fall feast days on the biblical calendar. Again, to the day. So it is important we are on God’s calendar so we can understand that.”
Truth! This year is a challenge.I always celebrate PASSOVER & try to teach my “Easter celebrating grandkids” the truth.This year I have to make a decision.
Sadly few evangelical type Christians understand the Nicene Christianity which received its authoritative shape at the councils of Constatinople (381) and Chalcedon (451). The true Foundations of the Church Catholic and Historical, which is always Judeo-Christian, use evangelized metaphysics! Let me recommend that classic book by the great J.N.D. Kelly (himself an historical and evangelical Anglican): ‘Early Christian Doctrines, 1958/revised 1960, 1965, 1968, 1978. Read it!
*And I am btw, something of a Zionist Gentile Christian, and fully support Modern Israel!
The true church was a Roman concoction, which Mark Blitz points out in his article. Note this from the “church fathers” a group of Jew-haters: ” We ought not therefore to have anything in common with the Jew, for the Saviour has shown us another way;” The Saviour came to show first the Jews, then the gentiles, how to follow the Feasts of Adonai as given to Moses. He did not start a new programme or church. The difference between the Old and the New Covenants is that we are free from the consequences of punishment and death brought about by sin because our Messiah took the guilt upon Himself. However, He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfil it. He states as much in the Gospels. This point the “early fathers” and subsequent followers of the false doctrines put out by the man-made and impure “church” have totally missed – on purpose, I would say.
“Easter” see http://mystery-babylon.org/easter.html
Jesus Christ is THE Victor over the whole of Creation! Sadly some here are missing the great theological essence of Paul’s Colossians… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Col. 1: 15, ESV)
And many of our so-called Church Father’s, surely all men with feet of clay, have in the main helped us to understand this great theological essence of Jesus Christ as Lord! And btw, it was old Origen who helped us early understand the great mystery of the Holy Trinity of God! And of course Origen was very flawed, like all of our human teachers! WE live in a very fallen world!
IT does appear, that some here really do need to refresh themselves with just what was the Reformation! Without that, we would NOT be separate spiritually from Rome, and Catholicism! And I am myself a Reformed Protestant Anglican, and I believe fully Evangelical. And I was born and raised Irish Roman Catholic (Dublin), but left in the 1970’s. So I know something of that reality. But thankfully God has redeemed Catholics, both past and some present! God In Christ is NO respecter of persons!
Pastor Biltz is exactly right. The Jewish calendar is correct. Our Gregorian calendar is pagan. I will celebrate Easter this Sunday, March 27, and Resurrection Day on April 22.
Correction to my last comment……I will celebrate Resurrection Day on April 24, 2016.
Marie, why are you celebrating Easter? To my meaning these date’s in March are all pagan.
2nd’ly the celebration of our Saviour’s Death and RESURRECTION should be celebrated on the 21st, and the 24th. I mention the 21st, because if Jesus died on Friday, He would not have been in the grave for 3days and 3 nights.
Our fallen world is pagan, we simply cannot escape it! The true Christian is “in” the World, but not “of” it! Read the 1st Letter of Peter!