Letter to the Editor: Passover, not Easter

To the Editor:
Passover and Easter are just a few weeks away. Easter will be celebrated first, Sunday, March 27, and Passover most of a month later, April 22. Easter is always a Sunday, Passover every year is always on a different day.
Passover, which the churches call Easter, for the most part is a remembrance of our Savior, Yahshua’s murder, which was accomplished by nailing him to a cross. A spike in each of his wrists, which at that time was considered a part of the hand, and one through both feet, one foot on top of the other.
All too often, the origin of Passover is not mentioned. It is quite lengthy starting with Jacob in Genesis 25, and him having 12 sons, the seventh son whose name was Joseph. Because of some dreams Joseph received from the Family’s God, namely Yahweh, and relating to his family those dreams, bringing on himself the murderous hatred of his brothers. They tried but he was saved by his oldest brother, Rueben. He was then sold to some Midianite traders passing by, who sold him to Pharaoh of Egypt.
After about 400 years, Moses is born of an Israelite woman, raised in Pharaoh’s house by his daughter, left and became a shepherd, encountered a bush that was on fire that would not die while burning. There Yahshua told him to go to Egypt - where he had killed a man many years before as a young man - to face Pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go, which he did.
Pharaoh refused, the end result was total destruction of Egypt by the application of ten plagues, each of which came against the false gods of Egypt. The plagues were to demonstrate the powerlessness of Egypt’s gods: Hapi - river god, Heqt - frog-faced goddess, Seb-earth god, lice, Khepfi - god of insects, Hathor - cow-faced goddess-livestock, Imhotep - god of medicine-boils, Nut - sky goddess-hail and fire, Seth - god of crops-locusts, Horus/Ra - god of darkness, Amon/Ra - creator god-death of first born.
Pharaoh finally says leave, and this leads to Passover. The point here is to show the Israelites, you and I, that He is Yahweh, and He alone is the only one true living God who knows all, sees all and does all.
Referring to Passover as Easter is turning our backs on Yahweh and his only begotten son, Yahshua.
The first month of the year, biblically speaking, is Nisan. On the tenth day of the month, Yahshua instructed Moses to instruct the Israelites that each household should take a lamb of its first year, without blemish, to live with them in the house. On the 14th day, just four days later, that lamb, which the family had become very attached to, was to be killed at twilight by cutting its throat. The blood was caught in a basin. The basin of blood was placed at the threshold of the door. Then hyssop was dipped in the blood and smeared on the door posts and lintel (overheard beam) because at midnight the death angel was coming. Upon his seeing the blood smeared around the door, he would pass over that house and no first born would by killed.
Yes, even Pharaoh’s first-born son, the next pharaoh died that night. The lamb was to be roasted and eaten, not boiled, and the remainder burned entirely. The Israelites were to be dressed, sandals on and staff in hand while eating it. The story goes on of the rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to freedom.
Yahshua celebrated the above story of Passover for the last time with his disciples before he returns at the sound of the last trumpet, I Corinthians 15:52. Walking through that blood-stained door that night was safety. Yahshua is our door to safety. Yahshua died about 3:00 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, rising from the tomb Saturday afternoon. That Thursday was a high Sabbath day. There were two sabbaths that week, John 19:31, feast of unleavened Bread. Friday afternoon till Sunday morning is not three days in the grave. Who is the liar?
So our bible tells us all about Passover and Yahshua observing it. So what does the bible tell us about Easter?
The word Easter is mentioned in only one place in only one version of the bible, the King James at Acts 12:4. Please read Jeremiah 44. The word “Easter” has been adopted from Pagans as an attempt to inculturate by syncretism a behavior that is absolutely an abomination. The word “Easter” was preceded by the name Ishtar, which became Astoreth. Then Eastre, Oster, Astarte, and now Easter, was a Pagan spring observance brought into Christianity by Constantine, the Emperor of Rome at Nicea in 325 C.E. Constantine wanted to bring the pagan heathens into Christianity, so he allowed them to bring their gods with them, all of which is sun worship. Christmas, Easter, Lent, Halloween, changing the seventh day Sabbath day of rest to Sunday, the first day of the week. Notice the first three letters of Sunday.
We have turned our backs on our Creator. Israel, Yahweh’s chosen people, turned away from him and spent 400 years in slavery. We are headed that way even as you read this. Yahshua said, “If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14.

Nanferd and Judy Felke
Waukon