Professing Christians celebrate Easter as a day of worship, often asserting that Jesus instituted a new day of worship when He rose from the grave on what they consider the first Easter Sunday morning. This belief leads them to disregard the command to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. However, Scripture indicates that Jesus rose from the grave after being in the tomb for three days and three nights, totaling 72 hours, as He Himself stated. Traditional arguments that He rose on Sunday morning are contradicted by the timing of events, which show He was crucified on Wednesday and rose as the Sabbath ended, not on Sunday. Furthermore, the notion of Easter sunrise services is unsupported, as Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, and counting back 72 hours from any supposed Sunday dawn points to a Thursday dawn, whereas Scripture explicitly states He was buried at sunset. Thus, Jesus did not rise on Sunday, the day mistakenly called the Lord's day by some, but on the true seventh-day Sabbath, of which He declared Himself Lord.

Easter, which supplanted Passover throughout most of Christendom, was chosen by the Roman Church due to an intense prejudice against Jews and the widespread celebration of Easter among pagan cultures. The Roman Church effectively banned the practice of keeping the Passover on Nisan 14 at the Council of Nicea in AD 325, setting rules to calculate the date of Easter for the entire Church. Easter celebrations were syncretized with pagan spring festivals, leading to traditions like the Easter Bunny, dyeing eggs, and giving candy. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, believed by most professing Christians to have occurred at sunrise on the Sunday morning after His death. However, neither Jesus nor His apostles mention observing or memorializing His resurrection.

Tomorrow, Sunday, April the 16th, 2017, the world's Christians will celebrate Easter, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, we understand from Scripture that nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus was placed in a new tomb and was raised from the dead by the Father after exactly three days and three nights, as He prophesied in Matthew 12:40. The world's Christians, instead, promote an unscriptural story of a 1½ day burial, compressing the three days and three nights into one day and two nights, claiming it covers parts of three days. They disregard the significance of the holy days and the Sabbath, refusing to acknowledge Jesus rising on a Sabbath, a day of rest and focus on God, and instead place His resurrection at dawn on the first day of the week, Sunday, which they have deemed holy contrary to God's commandments. At least this year, Easter falls within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, though they align it with Sunday, the day of the wavesheaf offering, when we understand the resurrected Christ was accepted as the firstfruits from the dead and ascended to heaven in glory to sit at the Father's right hand. By conflating the wavesheaf with Easter, they lose understanding of God's plan. Tomorrow morning, before dawn, many will dress in new Easter finery and attend resurrection Sunday services, followed by activities like egg rolling, Easter egg hunts, and meals often centered around ham—none of which are found in Scripture. The name Easter likely derives from a Germanic goddess associated with dawn and light, a meaning adapted to the resurrection day, and may also trace back to Middle Eastern goddesses linked to fertility. Over time, pagan traditions such as eggs and bunnies, symbols of fertility, have been incorporated into this celebration. We, however, believe Jesus rose as the Sabbath ended, revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene, and ascended to heaven around the time of the wavesheaf offering in the Temple, becoming the firstfruit from the dead. Though there is no biblical command to commemorate this event, we can remember and ponder its true occurrence and thank God for its significance to us.

Easter, as it is known today, does not carry a Christian origin but is derived from the name of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian goddess Ishtar, also known as Astarte among the Phoenicians, the consort of Baal, the sun god. This name, slightly altered to Easter in English, stems from old Teutonic mythology where it appears as Ostern, revealing its pagan roots. In historical records, the term Easter appears only once in the Bible, in the Authorized King James translation of Acts 12:4, where it is a mistranslation of 'Pascha,' correctly rendered as 'Passover' in the Revised Standard Version. The festival now called Easter was not observed by the early followers of Jesus Christ or the apostles, who instead kept the Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the sacred calendar, a practice that varied in date each year rather than being fixed to a specific day like Sunday. Over time, this pagan festival was integrated into professing Christian practices, replacing the observance of Passover, which was a memorial of Christ's crucifixion. Easter's origins trace back to Chaldean sun-worship, where Astarte, or Ishtar, was revered as the queen of heaven, a practice condemned in the Bible as abominable idolatry. Historical accounts note that the festival later termed Easter in the third or fourth centuries was originally called Pascha, or Passover, and was not associated with the pagan name or customs at that time. Customs associated with Easter, such as dyed eggs, also have pagan roots, figuring in ancient Babylonian mystery rites and being sacred emblems in various ancient civilizations, including Egypt and the Orient, where they symbolized birth and renewal during spring. Similarly, Easter sunrise services are linked to ancient sun worship, a practice depicted in Ezekiel 8:15-18 as an abomination, where people faced east to honor the rising sun, mirroring the worship of Baal and his consort. The integration of Easter into the Western Church came through a gradual shift from the original observance of Passover, as serious differences arose between Jewish and Gentile Christians over the date of observance. By the fourth century, under the influence of the Roman Church and decisions made at the Council of Nicaea in 325, Easter was decreed to be celebrated on Sunday, disregarding the traditional date of the 14th day of the first month, thus aligning with pagan practices rather than the original custom upheld by Jesus Christ and His early followers.

Tomorrow is Easter, but for us, it is merely the middle day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Millions will wake up early, wear their finest and possibly new clothing, and attend Easter sunrise services. Some young girls might wear Easter bonnets. If the weather permits, children will participate in Easter egg hunts or Easter egg rolls. Families will gather, perhaps at grandma's house, for an Easter dinner featuring ham as the main course. The focus will be on Easter candy, Easter clothes, and Easter eggs, with little mention of Jesus, even at the Easter sunrise service. The religious aspects of Easter are diminishing, similar to what has happened with Christmas. Easter is becoming another occasion for sales, particularly of candy, costumes, and clothing, rivaling Halloween and Christmas in merchandise sales. Easter is not mentioned in the Bible as a true biblical holiday. The only supposed reference to Easter in the Bible is in Acts 12, but the Greek word used is "pascha," meaning Passover. The entire eight days of Passover and Unleavened Bread were referred to as Passover at the time. The translators, possibly trying to introduce Easter, used the term instead of the correct Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Easter did not gain significant traction in the church until about 75 years after the apostle John's death, primarily in Rome under Bishop Sixtus, who allowed Easter to be observed on Sunday instead of Passover. The Council of Nicea in 325 AD decided to keep Easter on Sunday, rejecting the so-called Jewish Passover. The apostles, however, kept the biblical holy days as commanded in Leviticus 23, planning their travels around these days to preach, with no mention of Easter. In I Corinthians 11 and Luke 22, there are clear commands to observe the Passover in remembrance of Christ's death on Nisan the 14th, with no biblical command to observe the resurrection. Easter originates from paganism and was incorporated into the church to appease pagans and those within the church who embraced pagan practices, with no true Christian basis.

For most people, it is a difficult undertaking to buck tradition, especially in holiday celebrations like Easter. As often and as forcefully as one might try to proclaim the inaccuracies inherent in Easter, the words seem to fall on deaf ears. Most people prefer to shrug off the inconvenient truth to avoid rocking the boat in the here-and-now, despite the risk of God's condemnation. Yet, to a Christian, there should be no dithering about embracing truth out of reverence for God, as Jesus Himself says in Luke 12:4-5 to fear Him who has power to cast into hell. A stubborn truth exposes a glaring inconsistency in the Easter scenario. Jesus says in Matthew 12:38-40 that He would be buried for three days and three nights, just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish. With a full day comprising twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night, the simple math shows Jesus prophesied He would be buried for 72 hours as the only sign of His Messiahship. However, fitting 72 hours between sundown on Friday and sunrise on Sunday is impossible, resulting in only about half that time. If Jesus was in the grave for only 36 hours instead of the 72 He prophesied, it suggests a discrepancy in the timeline. Yet, through the resurrection, Jesus did live again and ascended to the right hand of the Father. This means He was in the grave for exactly three days and three nights, as He foretold. Thus, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition presents a chronological impossibility. Even John 20:1 states that when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark on Sunday morning, the tomb was already empty. Easter sunrise services lack a factual basis, since Jesus was put into the tomb near sunset and would have been resurrected at a similar time.

It is commonly supposed that the resurrection of Jesus occurred about sunrise on Easter Sunday morning. Few have ever thought to question this Easter tradition. However, the Bible urges us to test all things, and the evidence challenges this long-held belief. The tradition of Easter Sunday as the day of resurrection does not align with the scriptural record that defines the duration of time Jesus spent in the tomb as three days and three nights, totaling 72 hours. If He rose at sunrise on Sunday, as the Easter tradition suggests, it would not fulfill the sign He gave of being in the grave for the full 72 hours. Instead, the resurrection must have occurred late in the afternoon, near sunset, on the Sabbath, contradicting the Easter Sunday morning narrative. This time-honored tradition of Easter must be reevaluated in light of the plain biblical evidence that points to a different time and day for the resurrection of our Lord.

Easter Sunday is observed as a day of rejoicing over Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. However, the timing of this celebration raises questions when compared to the biblical accounts of His death and burial. Jesus Himself defined the period of His burial as exactly 72 hours, stating He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. If He rose at dawn on Sunday, as commonly observed on Easter Sunday, the timeline does not align with the 72-hour period, which would place His burial at Thursday daybreak rather than the sunset burial described in the Gospel accounts. Furthermore, the accounts do not specify the exact time of His resurrection, only noting that early Sunday morning, His followers found the tomb empty, suggesting He had already been gone for about twelve hours by then. This discrepancy challenges the traditional timing associated with Easter Sunday, indicating that a Sunday morning resurrection does not fit the precise 72-hour sign Jesus provided.

This present world system has attempted to change God's Sabbath and holy days, syncretizing them into corrupt worship and establishing their own counterfeit holidays. Though the Bible makes no direct references to Easter, the origins of such pagan holidays are mentioned as being abominations to God. If everyone obeyed God by refusing to keep pagan holidays like Easter, one of satan's ploys to obscure God's plan for mankind would be thwarted.

Protestant theologians justify their worship on the first day of the week by claiming it honors the day of Christ's resurrection. However, there is no indication that God intended such a change, nor is there any explanation from an apostle or prophet to support this shift. By Jesus' own testimony, the significance of the timing of His resurrection is to prove that He was the Messiah, as He foretold being in the grave three days and three nights, fulfilling the sign of Jonah. The timing of His resurrection has nothing to do with establishing which day God set apart as holy, but everything to do with validating His identity as the Messiah. Followers of Christ should focus on understanding how long He was in the grave and when He was resurrected, for if the Father did not resurrect Him as foretold, there is no Savior. The same theologians who justify Sunday observance also claim that Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and was resurrected on a Sunday morning, which does not fulfill the sign of Jonah, as it is impossible to fit three days and three nights between those times. Jesus was killed on the day of Passover, and His body was placed in the grave before sunset, marking the start of an annual Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not the weekly Sabbath. In the year of His crucifixion, Passover was on a Wednesday, and His body was put into the grave late that afternoon before the high-day Sabbath began. He was in the grave three days and three nights, from Wednesday night through Saturday, and He arose on Sabbath afternoon before sunset. His resurrection on the Sabbath does not make it holy; rather, He was resurrected by God on the day that was already set apart as holy. Thus, the day of Christ's resurrection does not establish the day of worship, and even if it did, it would still be on the seventh day. Jesus' resurrection made no change in the day of worship; men took it upon themselves to alter it without regard for God's Word.

The day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day of the Wavesheaf offering, which typifies the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. It coincides with the day many Christians observe Easter, celebrating His resurrection with sunrise services, joyous proclamations of His rising, and wearing fine spring clothes. Children hunt for Easter eggs and enjoy various sweets, making it a festive occasion. However, the profound implications of what occurred in the tomb outside Jerusalem seem overlooked by many, as the holiday often focuses on superficial elements rather than the deep significance of His overcoming death. If the gospel accounts are studied and compared, it becomes evident that Jesus could not have risen at sunrise on Sunday morning. Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb early, while it was still dark, and found the stone already removed, indicating He had already been resurrected. Combining all clues, the biblical narrative suggests a Wednesday crucifixion and a late Sabbath Saturday resurrection, fulfilling the sign of His Messiahship by remaining in the tomb for a full three days and three nights. If this aspect of the Easter story is incorrect, it raises questions about other inaccuracies in the common understanding of the event.

Hardly anything more clearly illustrates the self-deceived perverseness of human nature than its presumptuous additions of the observation of Easter to the worship of the God of the Bible. Regarding Easter, Jesus was not resurrected on a Sunday morning, nor was He crucified on a Friday afternoon. It is impossible to squeeze three days and three nights, which Jesus Himself said would be the length of time He would spend in the tomb, between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. Even so, fantastically detailed and emotionally appealing traditions have presumptuously been built around these events and have been taught to a deceived public as though they were true. Beyond what has been mentioned regarding this day, where in God's Word does He command us to believe and do these commonly accepted practices? Men have presumptuously taken them upon themselves. The addition of Easter to Christianity happened so long ago that most accept it as part of the Christian religion, and people celebrate it without thought.

The traditional Good Friday to Easter Sunday timeline does not align with the 72-hour period Jesus Christ specified for His time in the tomb. It is impossible to fit three full 24-hour days between Friday evening and a dawn resurrection on Sunday. The accounts in the Gospels indicate that He was buried at sunset, and if He remained in the tomb for exactly 72 hours, He was resurrected at sunset, not at dawn. Every year as Easter approaches, many churches proclaim, "He is risen!" yet the evidence suggests a different sequence of events. The harmonized Gospel accounts reveal that Jesus was crucified and buried on a Wednesday, with two Sabbaths occurring within that 72-hour period—a high day Sabbath on Thursday and the weekly Sabbath on Saturday. The women prepared spices on Friday after the high day and rested on the weekly Sabbath, confirming that He was resurrected at sunset on the Sabbath as the day ended.