The common belief of Christendom is that Jesus Christ was crucified on a Friday, commonly known and celebrated worldwide as the 'Good Friday' and resurrected on 'Easter Sunday', justifying the Sunday worship as the 'Lord's Day' or the 'Sabbath Day'. But is this what the Lord Jesus and His Apostles taught and written down in the Holy Bible? The truth is that what is being preached and practised worldwide is of pagan origin - primarily initiated by the Roman Emperor Constantine during the fourth century A.D.
Jesus foretold of His death and resurrection and that He will be in the tomb three days and three nights as a sign that He was the Messiah (Jonah 1:17; Matt 12:40). But the Good Friday-Easter Sunday story simply does not add up to three days and three nights. It is more like one day (Saturday) and two nights (Friday's and Saturday's). Sadly, most would prefer to believe deceived men rather than the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ!
After Jesus died, His body was quickly placed in a tomb before sunset as the Sabbath begins from sunset on the day He died (biblical counting of a day). However, that was an annual Sabbath day and not the usual weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, for it was a high day - John 19:31. The high day or high Sabbath falls on a Thursday, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread for that year in 31 A.D., which immediately follows the Passover (see Leviticus 23:5-7). The Passover was a preparation day for the annual Feast, which lasted for seven days.
Unlike the weekly Sabbath which occurs from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, the annual Sabbath day can fall on any day of the week. Jesus was crucified and died on the Passover day, which falls on a Wednesday, as prophesied that 'the Messiah be cut-off in the midst of the week' - Daniel 9:26-27.
According to Jewish calendar, Jesus was crucified and died on Wednesdy, 25 April A.D. 31. Let's do the math - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset is one day and one night, adding Thursday sunset to Friday sunset makes two days and two nights, then adding Friday sunset to Saturday sunset makes three days and three nights. This was precisely what the Lord Jesus foretold as a sign that He was the Saviour of the world - nothing more and nothing less.
When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) before the break of dawn ('when it was yet dark' ), the Lord Jesus Christ had already risen! - John 20:1. Many were mistaken into believing that Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week based on a wrong understanding of Mark 16:9. It simply states that early on the first day of the week when Mary Magdalene went to the grave, Jesus had already risen - not to mean that He rose on Sunday. Anything other than what He said and recorded in Scriptures is a denial of Christ and of the truth!
So how did the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition comes about since it does not fit into Scriptures ? (Note: Acts 12:4 - the Greek word pascha should be translated as Passover as in all other cases). The answer can be found in 325 A.D. during the Council of Nicaea. Only the Christian Passover - not Good Friday, Easter Sunday tradition - was celebrated by Jesus, His disciples and the early church and is also relevant for the church today!
Constantine held an assembly of some 250 bishops in Nicaea ( near Istanbul in northerwestern Turkey) in the year 325 A.D., known as the Council of Nicaea. Under the dominance of Constantine and people of similar persuasion, the Council replaced many Biblical truth with man-made doctrines and practises, including changing the times and laws of God as prophesied in Daniel 7:25. The Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition was just one of many Biblical truths being replaced! The dispute over the Christian Passover is known in history as the Paschal Controversy.
The Roman Emperor drew his sword to quench any dissent from adopting the teachings and practices of the universal church - the church of Rome. Those who opposed were martyred and the true church of God had to flee from 325 A.D. until 1585 A.D. when England was free from Catholic dominance after winning the war over Spain who had attempted to militarily impose the Catholic faith on England.
Interestingly, this period of 1,260 years fits in with the prophecy in Revelation 12:1-6 when the true church (represented by a woman) had to flee persecution for 1,260 years (one day represents one year in Biblical prophecy - Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).
Jesus ate the Passover feast with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. He also prophesied that He will eat the Passover feast with them when He returned (Second Coming) to establish His kingdom on earth (Luke 22:15-16). Certainly, no where in Scriptures did the Lord Jesus or any of His disciples mentioned or celebrated the pagan Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition as practised by most organised religion the world over.
True believers of Christ are commanded to worship God in spirit and in truth - John 4:23-24. Only the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32) from wrong ideas and practices which are snares to entrap the unwary and gullible into evil. Any worship of the teachings and traditions of man is worshipping God in vain - Mark 7:7-9.
Jesus foretold of His death and resurrection and that He will be in the tomb three days and three nights as a sign that He was the Messiah (Jonah 1:17; Matt 12:40). But the Good Friday-Easter Sunday story simply does not add up to three days and three nights. It is more like one day (Saturday) and two nights (Friday's and Saturday's). Sadly, most would prefer to believe deceived men rather than the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ!
After Jesus died, His body was quickly placed in a tomb before sunset as the Sabbath begins from sunset on the day He died (biblical counting of a day). However, that was an annual Sabbath day and not the usual weekly Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, for it was a high day - John 19:31. The high day or high Sabbath falls on a Thursday, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread for that year in 31 A.D., which immediately follows the Passover (see Leviticus 23:5-7). The Passover was a preparation day for the annual Feast, which lasted for seven days.
Unlike the weekly Sabbath which occurs from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, the annual Sabbath day can fall on any day of the week. Jesus was crucified and died on the Passover day, which falls on a Wednesday, as prophesied that 'the Messiah be cut-off in the midst of the week' - Daniel 9:26-27.
According to Jewish calendar, Jesus was crucified and died on Wednesdy, 25 April A.D. 31. Let's do the math - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset is one day and one night, adding Thursday sunset to Friday sunset makes two days and two nights, then adding Friday sunset to Saturday sunset makes three days and three nights. This was precisely what the Lord Jesus foretold as a sign that He was the Saviour of the world - nothing more and nothing less.
When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) before the break of dawn ('when it was yet dark' ), the Lord Jesus Christ had already risen! - John 20:1. Many were mistaken into believing that Jesus rose on Sunday, the first day of the week based on a wrong understanding of Mark 16:9. It simply states that early on the first day of the week when Mary Magdalene went to the grave, Jesus had already risen - not to mean that He rose on Sunday. Anything other than what He said and recorded in Scriptures is a denial of Christ and of the truth!
So how did the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition comes about since it does not fit into Scriptures ? (Note: Acts 12:4 - the Greek word pascha should be translated as Passover as in all other cases). The answer can be found in 325 A.D. during the Council of Nicaea. Only the Christian Passover - not Good Friday, Easter Sunday tradition - was celebrated by Jesus, His disciples and the early church and is also relevant for the church today!
Constantine held an assembly of some 250 bishops in Nicaea ( near Istanbul in northerwestern Turkey) in the year 325 A.D., known as the Council of Nicaea. Under the dominance of Constantine and people of similar persuasion, the Council replaced many Biblical truth with man-made doctrines and practises, including changing the times and laws of God as prophesied in Daniel 7:25. The Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition was just one of many Biblical truths being replaced! The dispute over the Christian Passover is known in history as the Paschal Controversy.
The Roman Emperor drew his sword to quench any dissent from adopting the teachings and practices of the universal church - the church of Rome. Those who opposed were martyred and the true church of God had to flee from 325 A.D. until 1585 A.D. when England was free from Catholic dominance after winning the war over Spain who had attempted to militarily impose the Catholic faith on England.
Interestingly, this period of 1,260 years fits in with the prophecy in Revelation 12:1-6 when the true church (represented by a woman) had to flee persecution for 1,260 years (one day represents one year in Biblical prophecy - Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).
Jesus ate the Passover feast with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. He also prophesied that He will eat the Passover feast with them when He returned (Second Coming) to establish His kingdom on earth (Luke 22:15-16). Certainly, no where in Scriptures did the Lord Jesus or any of His disciples mentioned or celebrated the pagan Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition as practised by most organised religion the world over.
True believers of Christ are commanded to worship God in spirit and in truth - John 4:23-24. Only the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32) from wrong ideas and practices which are snares to entrap the unwary and gullible into evil. Any worship of the teachings and traditions of man is worshipping God in vain - Mark 7:7-9.
