What Will It Be? 
Easter or Pesach (Passover)?

            Pagan, Hebrew and Christian traditions merged to create the Easter Celebrations which are known in the Western World today.

            The pagans were alive and prolific long before there was ever a man called ‘Jesus’ or any stories of his resurrection.

            According to an English historian of the early 8th century, a man referred to as Venerable Bede, the name Easter, along with the name of the days of the week, is a survival from the old Teutonic mythology. According to him it is derived from the Norse Ostara or Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. The month of April, was called Eostur-monath, and was dedicated to this goddess.

^{Hebrew Origins}

        ^{Now, Let's Look At Passover:}

^{Whether you keep the Holy Days of the Heavenly Father or the pagan holidays 
of the nations, of course is up to you. Before you make a final decision, please read about Passover, YHWH’s Memorial.}

^{This is the story of the captivity of Israel in Egypt. The Almighty sent Moses to Egypt to tell Pharoah (ruler of Egypt) to release the captives and allow them to leave Egypt. The Israelites were slaves who had been major contributors to all the building of tombs, buildings, the making of brick to build these monuments to the Rulers of Egypt. Pharoah had not intention of releasing this work force.}

^{After many plagues had been brought upon the nation of Egypt, the heart of Pharoah remained hardened against YHWH, Moses and Israel and he refused 
to heed the message from YHWH to let His people go.}

^{Pesach or Passover is the story of the final plague and the ultimate freedom for Israel brought about by Almighty YHWH.}

^{First, we read in the book of Exodus:}

^{Exod 11:1-7}

^{1 Now YHWH had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.}

^{2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold."}

^{3 (YHWH made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh's officials and by the people.)}

^{4 So Moses said, "This is what YHWH says: 'About midnight I will go throughout   Egypt.}

^{5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.}

^{6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt-- worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.}

^{7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that YHWH makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.}

^{Then we read in Chapter 12:}

^{Exod 12:1-14}

^{1 YHWH said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,}

^{2 "This month is to be for you the first month (the true new years day), the first month of your year.}

^{3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.}

^{4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.}

^{5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.}

^{6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.}

^{7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.}

^{8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.}

^{9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire-- head, legs and inner parts.}

^{10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.}

^{11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is YHWH’s Passover.}

^{12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-- both men and animals-- and I will bring judgment on all the gods 
of Egypt. I am YHWH.}

^{13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when 
I strike Egypt.}

^{14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to YHWH-- a lasting ordinance.}

^{Please note: This is to be a ‘lasting ordinance’ for you. A lasting ordinance seems to say, ‘you must do this forever’. WHY? We are to remember when we were captives...}

^{When we are in the world, following the customs of man, keeping pagan holidays, not obeying the Law or remembrances of the Creator, we are 
captives. Freedom comes only by obedience to YHWH.}

^{If you consider yourself a child of YHWH (even if you do not know His Name) then it is vitally important that you find out what is required of you.}

^{He says we are to keep His Feasts, Fasts and Memorials throughout all our generations. He also says that all those who are strangers or sojourners among His people must obey the same Law as the native born of Israel.}

^{Do not be misled into following the unholy holidays of the nations. This is not pleasing to the Creator. Let us decide, we will seek out His ways and follow them.}