SABBATH DISCUSSION

March 28, 2026 | 10 Nisan 5786

While most people are preparing for Easter on Sunday,

April 5th, there is a remnant who are preparing to celebrate

the Passover on Thursday, April 2nd, beginning at sunset.

Contrary to popular belief, the Passover and Easter are not the

same...actually far from it.

The Passover goes back to Exodus 12 when Yahweh delivered

His people from Egypt. Yahweh commanded His people to kill

a lamb and wipe some of its blood on the two side posts and

the upper door post of their homes.

Those who obeyed were passed over when Yahweh sent the plague of death on every firstborn in Egypt. The lamb represented Yeshua, who would later come and give Himself as the perfect Lamb upon the cross. This is the summarized version of the Passover which is celebrated every year on the 14th day of Abib, which is the first month of the year for Yahweh's calendar, and it is also the day that our Master and Saviour, Yeshua, gave up His spirit on the cross.

As for Easter, there is NO story in the Bible that talks about Easter. This alone should be very alarming to all who claim to follow Yeshua, but we will still discuss the difference between Passover and Easter.

What do bunnies and eggs have to do with Yeshua's resurrection as Easter purports? Have you ever stopped in the middle of an Easter morning (in your past) - surrounded by pastel-colored baskets, chocolate bunnies, and painted eggs and asked yourself: What does any of this have to do with the resurrection of Yeshua?

The question seems almost too obvious to ask. And yet, most professing Christians never do. We inherit these and other traditions, wrap them in the language of faith, and move on.

But the truth is, this question deserves a serious, honest, and biblical answer. Because what we discover when we look closely may disturb us... and ultimately, set us free.

Let's begin with the obvious: bunnies and eggs don't match. Bunnies do not lay eggs - NOT in nature, NOT in Scripture, NOT anywhere.

There is no moment in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John where a rabbit hops past the empty tomb. There was no "Easter egg" in the Garden of Gethsemane. There was no "chocolate" in the Upper Room.

These symbols have absolutely NOTHING to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua... and these happenings are the most pivotal events in all human history.

So where did bunnies and eggs come from? And why are they so deeply woven into what billions of people call a "Christian" celebration? The answer, as we shall see, is not found in the Bible. Rather, it is found in history, and it points to something Yahweh calls an abomination.

The Pagan Origins of Easter

The word "Easter" itself is revealing. Many historians and scholars trace it to (also spelled Ostara), a Germanic

goddess of spring, fertility, and dawn, which is documented. by the Venerable Bede, an eighth-century monk, in his work De Temporum Ratione. Eostre was worshipped in the spring month that bore her name, with festivals celebrating new life, fertility, and the renewal of the earth.

What are the symbols of this fertility goddess? The hare, an animal long associated with rapid reproduction and lunar cycles. The egg, a universal symbol of new life, birth, and fertility across dozens of ancient pagan religions including those of Babylon, Egypt, and Persia.

The ancient Babylonian religious system, rooted in the worship of Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz celebrated a spring festival honoring the resurrection of Tammuz, a counterfeit resurrection story that predates Christianity and was emphatically condemned by Yahweh Himself.

In the book of Ezekiel, Yahweh showed the prophet a vision of the women of Israel weeping for Tammuz right at the doorstep of His temple.

Ezekiel 8:14-15 says...

Then He brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. Then said He unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

Yahweh did not call this harmless tradition. He did not call it a cultural expression. He called it an abomination, and He

said it was happening right at the doorstep of His house of worship. Does that sound familiar?

How Paganism Crept Into the Church

As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire in the early centuries, a dangerous pattern began to emerge. Rather than calling pagan converts to completely abandon their old festivals and rituals, many church leaders chose

to baptize pagan holidays essentially keeping the timing, symbols, and festivities of ancient pagan celebrations while relabeling them as Christian.

This process, known as syncretism, seemed practical and compassionate at the time. But it was a direct violation of Yahweh's explicit command.

The spring fertility festival (with its hares, its eggs, and its celebration of rebirth) was gradually merged with the remembrance of Yeshua's resurrection. The dates, symbols, and customs of Eostre worship were simply reframed in Christian language.

Over centuries, this blended tradition became so normal that almost no one questioned it anymore. The rabbit and the egg outlasted their pagan origin story. Most people today have no idea where these symbols came from, but Yahweh does.

Deuteronomy 12:30-31 says...

30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

This is not a minor preference Yahweh is expressing. This is a command. He is explicitly saying: Do not worship Me the way the pagans worship their gods. He does not want their rituals re-dressed in His name; He does not want their symbols placed at His altar; and He does not want Easter eggs at the foot of the cross.

Yahweh will not share His glory

Many today say, "But we mean well. We're celebrating Jesus." And perhaps the heart is sincere, but sincerity has never been Yahweh's only standard.

Consider the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, in Leviticus 10:1-3. They offered "strange fire" before Yahweh which He had not commanded. They were sincere; they were priests; they knew God; and yet, Yahweh struck them dead. Notice what Yahweh says, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified.

Yahweh does not accept worship on our terms. He only accepts worship on His terms, and His terms are clearly laid out in Scripture, NOT in ancient Babylonian fertility rites repackaged with Christian greeting cards.

Consider also what Yahweh said through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 42:8: I am Yahweh: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

When Yahweh's people bring the symbols of Eostre, the bunny of fertility and the egg of rebirth, into the celebration of Yeshua's resurrection, we are - whether we intend to or not - mixing Yahweh's glory with the imagery of another.

And Yahweh says, I will not share My glory - NOT with a bunny, NOT with an egg, and NOT with anyone or anything else.

The Resurrection of Yeshua

Here is what we must not lose in this discussion: the resurrection of Yeshua is the most glorious, world- altering, death-defeating event in the history of creation. It is the cornerstone of our faith. The Apostle Paul made this clear:

1 Corinthians 15:14-20 says...

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of Yahweh; because we have testified of Yahweh that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

The resurrection of Yeshua is not a springtime theme. It is not a seasonal feeling. The resurrection of Yeshua is the foundation of our eternal hope. His resurrection deserves reverence, NOT rabbits. His resurrection deserves the Word of Yahweh, NOT painted eggs. His resurrection deserves the solemn, joyful, worship of a redeemed people, NOT a holiday borrowed from the fertility cults of ancient Babylon.

The early church did not celebrate Easter, and they did not celebrate Passover with eggs and bunnies. They kept the Passover as a remembrance of Yeshua. Passover is not Easter. We never see Easter being celebrated by Yeshua, His disciples, or the early church! But what we do see is Yeshua, His disciples, and the early church keeping the Passover.

What should believers do today? This is the question that truly matters. And the answer begins with the truth. Knowing the truth does not make you a fanatic. The truth sets us free.

In John 8:32, Yeshua says...

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The freedom Yeshua speaks of is not the freedom to continue in ignorance; rather, it is the freedom to worship Yahweh in spirit and in truth, uncontaminated by the ways of the world.

In 2 Corinthians 6:17, the Apostle Paul pleaded with the church at Corinth:

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith Yahweh, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

In Revelation 18:4, the Apostle John echoes the same call:

Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The call is not to anger, not to judge others, and not to self- righteous withdrawal from the world. The call is to personal holiness - to love Yahweh enough to worship Him on His terms, NOT the world's. The call is to examine what we celebrate today and why. The call is to ask whether our traditions glorify Yahweh or merely comfort us. The call is to be willing to let go of what is familiar if it leads us away from what is true.

This is not about condemning anyone. Yahweh sees the heart, and He is merciful. But He also calls His people to grow in knowledge and obedience. To know better and do nothing is disobedience. James 4:17 tells us, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

The Empty Tomb Needs No Decoration. Here is the breathtaking truth: the resurrection of Yeshua stands entirely on its own. It DOES NOT need a bunny. It DOES NOT need an egg. It DOES NOT need a pagan goddess. It DOES NOT need anything that human tradition or ancient idolatry can offer.

The tomb was empty. The grave clothes were folded. Death was conquered, and Yeshua rose bodily, gloriously, victoriously so that you and I might have life.

That story --- that story --- is enough. It is more than enough. It is the greatest story ever told, and it requires NOTHING borrowed from Babylon to make it beautiful.

Therefore, as we prepare to celebrate the Passover next week, let's NOT celebrate with bunnies and eggs that have nothing to do with Yeshua's resurrection. Rather, let us give all glory and honor to Yahweh who raised our Master and Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach, from the grave.

THEY REPLACED PASSOVER...

...AND MOST PEOPLE NEVER QUESTIONED IT.

WHERE IS "EASTER" EVER COMMANDED IN SCRIPTURE?