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Easter 2009 falls on Sunday, April 12th. How do you calculate which day is Easter?
Computus (Latin for computation) is the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. The name has been used for this procedure since the early Middle Ages, as it was one of the most important computations of the age.
The canonical rule is that Easter day is the first Sunday after the 14th day of the lunar month (the nominal full moon) that falls on or after 21 March (nominally the day of the vernal equinox). For determining the feast, Christian churches settled on a method to define a reckoned "ecclesiastical" full moon, rather than observations of the true Moon. Eastern Orthodox Christians calculate the fixed date of 21 March according to the Julian Calendar rather than the modern Gregorian Calendar, and use an ecclesiastical full moon that occurs 4 to 5 days later than the western ecclesiastical full moon.
In modern language, this definition is best described as: Easter Sunday is the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon date. The Paschal Full Moon date is the Ecclesiastical Full Moon date following 20 March and, for the years 1900 to 2199 AD, can be found in Tabular methods.
How “Christian” does that sound to you based on your knowledge of the bible?
What is Easter?
The Authorized (King James) Version uses "Easter" (incorrectly) at Acts 12:4 to translate the Greek word "pascha." Everywhere else in the NT that "passover" occurs, the KJV translates it (correctly) "passover."
Act 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.Etymology of “Easter” in the English language
O.E. Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre), from P.Gmc. *Austron, a goddess of fertility and sunrise whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox, from *austra-, from PIE *aus- "to shine" (especially of the dawn). Bede says Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted her name and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christ's resurrection. Ultimately related to east. Almost all neighboring languages use a variant of L. Pasche to name this holiday.Etymology of “Easter” in Acts 12:4
G3957Pascha elsewhere in the bible
πάσχα
páscha; neut. noun transliterated from the Hebr. pesach (H6453), to pass over, spare. The Passover, an exemption, immunity (Sept.: Exo_12:11, Exo_12:21). The great sacrifice and festival of the Jews which was instituted in commemoration of God's sparing the Jews when He destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians. It was celebrated on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan. For the institution and particular laws of this festival see Ex. 12; Lev_23:5; Num_9:2-6. The later Jews made some additions. In particular they drank four cups of wine at various intervals during the paschal supper. The third of these cups, called the cup of benediction, is referred to in 1Co_10:16 (cf. Mat_26:27). In the NT, tó páscha, the Passover, may refer to the festival or to the paschal lamb.
The Greek word “Pascha” occurs 28 times in the KJV bible, 29 If you count Acts 12:4.
(Matthew 26:2) Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.What's the big deal?
(Matthew 26:17) Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
(Matthew 26:18) And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
(Matthew 26:19) And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
(Mark 14:1) After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
(Mark 14:12) And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
(Mark 14:14) And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
(Mark 14:16) And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
(Luke 2:41) Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
(Luke 22:1) Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
(Luke 22:7) Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
(Luke 22:8) And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
(Luke 22:11) And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
(Luke 22:13) And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
(Luke 22:15) And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
(John 2:13) And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
(John 2:23) Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
(John 6:4) And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
(John 11:55) And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
(John 12:1) Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.
(John 13:1) Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
(John 18:28) Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.
(John 18:39) But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?
(John 19:14) And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
(1 Corinthians 5:7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
(Hebrews 11:28) Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Jesus died on a very special day that means something more than the significance we currently assign to that day. Even if it is regarded as the most holy day of the Christian calendar year, it is missing the most important aspect of acknowledging the timing that God assigned to this very special day. He, God, chose this day above all others and He had a reason for it that is as much a part of the story as the resurrection itself!
Messiah the Prince (Daniel 9:24-27)
24Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
It wasn't just any Passover
The 69 weeks prophetically speaking are how this is translated in most English bibles, but the truth of the matter is that the words “weeks” is actually “sevens” in Hebrew...
H7620
ָשׁבוַּע
šāḇûa‛: A masculine noun meaning seven; a week, a group of seven days or years. It indicates a unit of seven: a week, seven days (Lev_12:5; Deu_16:9); of a marriage feast (Gen_29:27-28); a week of days (Dan_10:2-3). It is used in a technical sense to name a festival, the Feast of Weeks (Exo_34:22; Deu_16:10). It refers to seven years, a heptad of years (Dan_9:24-27).
Therefore 69 sevens, or 69 X 7 = 483
Let's look at this again...
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:Or in other words it would be 483 years from the time the order was given to build Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince. In order to determine this date, we of course need to know when the order to rebuild Jerusalem had occurred.
Background for Daniel's prophecy
The Book of Daniel was written during the Babylonian captivity, and during this period of Jewish history Jerusalem had fallen and was destroyed completely. The time frame for this is from 586 BC when the Kingdom of Judah fell at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, until the year 445 BC when the order was given to rebuild Jerusalem.
We can find the date for this event in scripture as recorded in the 2nd chapter of the Book of Nehemiah, where we see it is Artaxerxes who issues the decree that sets into motion the clock that would measure the time until Messiah the Prince...
Nehemiah 2:1-8
1And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.2Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) ruled 41 years from 464-423 BC, the 20th year of his reign would have been the year spanning between 445 and 444 BC. 483 years from the month of Nissan in 445 BC brings us to Nissan 33 AD.
In the year 33 AD the following events occurred during the month of Nissan in real time, revealing Messiah the Prince for all to see that our Savior was indeed the lamb of God:
It was on Nissan 10 that Jesus made His final entrance into Jerusalem. Just prior to His descent from the Mount of Olives into the city, the annual procession of the national Passover lamb was taking place. The lamb, which would be taken to the temple in Jerusalem (to be the public sacrifice on Nissan 14 for all of Israel), was led into the city from the east. The lamb was met by crowds of people waving palm branches and joyously singing Psalm 118 as they remembered God’s miraculous delivery of their ancestors from the clutches of the Egyptian Pharaoh. One passage sung was, “Oh Lord, please save us, Oh Lord, please save us. Oh Lord, send us prosperity, Oh Lord, send us prosperity. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord,” (1) an expansion of the psalmic verses, “Oh Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 118:25,26a).
Following the procession of the Passover lamb, Jesus came down from the Mount of Olives, riding a donkey (indicating that He was coming humbly, in peace). He followed exactly the same path to the temple that the Passover lamb had just taken. The crowds of people, who previously had witnessed Jesus’ great miracles, placed more palm branches on the pathway in front of Him (thus, the name “Palm Sunday”) and shouted to Him as He passed, “‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matt. 21:7-9). (“Hosanna” or Hoshana means “Deliver us!”)
For four days, the Pesach lamb was kept in public view at the temple for everyone to examine to make sure that it was perfect and without defect. During the same four days, the chief priests, elders, Pharisees, and Sadducees interrogated Jesus; but He always left them speechless, because they could find no fault with His impeccable logic and character (Matt. 21:23-27, 22:23-46). Moreover, after Jesus was arrested, Pilate (governor of Jerusalem) and Herod (governor of Galilee) could find no evidence against Him nor fault with Him (Matt. 26:59,60a, 27:23a; Luke 23:4,14,15; John 19:6c). This is because Jesus was perfect and without defect, just as the Passover lamb was expected to be.
The national Passover lamb for Israel was to be killed in the temple on Nissan 14 at “twilight” (Exo. 12:6), or at the “twain of the evening.” In Hebrew, this is translated, bain haarbayim, or “between the evenings.” The last half of the daylight hours (from about noon to 6:00 p.m.) was further divided into two parts: the minor evening oblation (noon to 3:00 p.m.) and the major evening oblation (3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.). Thus, “between the evenings” means between these two periods, or about 3:00 p.m. This was the time midway between the beginning of the sun’s descent into the west (about noon) and its setting (about 6:00 p.m.). (2) So the Passover lamb was killed at about 3:00 p.m. on Nissan 14.
According to Bible historian Joseph Good, the Passover lamb in the temple was bound to the altar at about 9:00 a.m. (3) Similarly, “It was the third hour when they crucified [Jesus]” (Mark 15:25); that is, it was the third hour of daylight, or about 9:00 a.m. Darkness came over the land (not explainable by a solar eclipse, because there was a full moon rather than a new moon) from about the sixth to the ninth hour (noon to 3:00 p.m.); and it was about 3:00 p.m. that Jesus died (Luke 23:44,45a,46)—the same time that the sacrificial Passover lamb in the temple was slaughtered. As the high priest killed the lamb, he would have announced, “It is finished.” It is no accident that, on the cross a few miles away, Jesus’ last words also were, “It is finished” (John 19:30a), which literally meant, “Paid in full.”
Jesus was sacrificed on a wooden cross, as was the lamb impaled on a wooden cross to be cooked. Moreover, the blood stains of Jesus’ head, hands, and feet on the cross matched the locations of the blood of the lamb on the doorframe (top, sides, and bottom) of each Hebrew family’s house in Egypt.
Finally, it was forbidden for any of the Passover lamb’s bones to be broken (Exo. 12:46c). After the crucifixion, the legs of the two criminals crucified along with Jesus were broken to ensure that they would die (by suffocation) quickly, as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Nissan 15, was soon to begin. But Jesus was already dead, so they did not break His legs (John 19:31-33). This also was a fulfillment of a prophecy of David that none of the Messiah’s bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20).
It might be added that it often took two or three days for a person to die on the cross. But it took Jesus—a strong, healthy man—only six hours. Besides the fact that he had been severely flogged and beaten beyond recognition, He had more appointments to keep. Jesus had said, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again” (John 10:18ab). Moments before Jesus died on Nissan 14, He called out, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46a); then He voluntarily gave up his Spirit (Matt. 27:50). He knew He had to keep the appointment of dying at the same time as the Passover lamb at the temple, as well as to leave time to be buried before the Feast of Unleavened Bread began at sunset.
Signs in the heavens
Another event that marks this day chosen by God to reveal His son was a lunar eclipse that was visible from both Jerusalem and Babylon (where Daniel wrote the prophecy). Peter referred to this event on the day of Pentecost as he referenced the Book of Joel to explain to those gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem:
Compare the accounts described in both the Book of Acts and the Book of Joel:
The account prophesied by Joel in chapter 2 of the Book of Joel
The account as told by Peter in chapter 2 of the Book of Acts28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
14But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:15For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
22Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
25For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
26Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
35Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
There was in fact a lunar eclipse on the day that Jesus was crucified that would have made the moon appear blood red. I checked the data myself and it is confirmed in accordance with a NASA website that calculated every lunar eclipse in from 1999 BC to 3000 AD in the future. April 3rd, 33 AD was listed on this webpage (http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-AS.html) when I entered in the data necessary (location and year).
God's appointment with mankind
The word for feasts in Hebrew is an interesting word, it is moed. We see this word applied to the very feasts that will keep time with Messiah the Prince as he is revealed to mankind in what would probably be better translated as the requirement for men to observe appointments with God...
Leviticus 23:2 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. “
mô‛ēḏ: A masculine noun meaning an appointed time or place. It can signify an appointed meeting time in general (Gen_18:14; Exo_13:10); a specific appointed time, usually for a sacred feast or festival (Hos_9:5; Hos_12:9 [10]); the time of the birds' migration (Jer_8:7); the time of wine (Hos_2:9 [11]); the same time next year (Gen_17:21). In addition to the concept of time, this word can also signify an appointed meeting place: "The mount of the congregation" identifies the meeting place of God or the gods (Isa_14:13), and "the house appointed for all living" identifies the meeting place of the dead-that is, the netherworld (Job_30:23). Moreover, the term is used to distinguish those places where God's people were to focus on God and their relationship with Him, which would include: the tent of meeting (Exo_33:7); the Temple (Lam_2:6); the synagogue (Psa_74:8).
God did not pick arbitrary dates to reveal His son, but that the events that would mark the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Symbolically each of these appointments had very significant and rich meaning, a meaning that is lost in the celebration of Lent and Easter according to Christian tradition since around the year 325.
Constantine I, Roman emperor, convoked the Council of Nicaea in 325. The council unanimously ruled that the Easter festival should be celebrated throughout the Christian world on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox; and that if the full moon should occur on a Sunday and thereby coincide with the Passover festival, Easter should be commemorated on the Sunday following. Coincidence of the feasts of Easter and Passover was thus avoided.
This was a very important time in Christian history in that it marked the end of persecution against Christians as Christianity became the official state religion of the roman Empire. It is also the time that some very important issues were being resolved in the church:
1.They dealt with the issue of Arianism and established the doctrine of the trinity
2.They established the Nicene Creed
3.They ruled on the Meletian Schism
4.They changed when Easter would be celebrated from that point on
The reason the Nicene Council changed the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from Pesach (Passover) to Easter, was an attempt to appeal to the many pagans who had not yet converted over to Christianity. Although I am sure their intentions were good, the same can not be said of the unintended results from putting aside the richness that God intended in the days that He Himself chose for the events aforementioned being fulfilled.
Each of these appointments (feasts) directly point to Jesus, the Messiah
Passover Pesach
Nisan 14
Purpose: Remembering the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. An unblemished firstborn male lamb was sacrificed and its blood poured on the altar. A lamb was selected for each family, and four days before the lamb was to be slain it was brought into the home for a four-day examination period.
Messianic Significance: Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who died for our sins. On Nisan 14 at the exact time the lamb was to be slain, Jesus was slain. Jesus also had a four-day examination period before the religious leaders and was found without blemish.
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Unleavened Bread
Nisan 15
Purpose: Leaven symbolizes sin. Unleavened Bread speaks of sanctification. God told the Jews to cleanse all leaven from their homes and eat only unleavened bread, matzah, for seven days, symbolizing a holy walk with Him.
Messianic Significance: Jesus is the "Bread of Life" without sin. Born in Bethlehem. In Hebrew, Bethlehem means house of bread. Just as matzah is striped and pierced, so was the Messiah. This Feast falls on the day Jesus was buried.
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Day of Firstfruits
Nisan 17
Purpose: The first of the barley harvest was brought as an offering to the priest in the Tabernacle/Temple. The priest would present the first of the harvest unto the Lord by waving them back and forth. This reminded the Hebrews that God gave them the land, and the harvest belonged to Him.
Messianic Significance: Jesus is the Firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Jesus' resurrection marked the beginning of the harvest of souls. John 12:23-24,32 shows Jesus was likened to a grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying to produce a great harvest. Jesus arose on Firstfruits.
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Feast Of Weeks
Pentecost
Shavuot
Purpose: Fifty days after the Feast of Firstfruits, two loaves of leavened bread are presented to God. Also a reminder that the Jews were slaves to Egypt (Deut. 16:9-17). The giving of the Torah to Moses on Sinai took place this day. Three thousand were killed that day.
Messianic Significance: Fifty days after Jesus arose, a group of Messianic Jews received the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "Unless I go, the Holy Spirit will not come. But when I go (Firstfruits- His resurrection) I will send the Holy Spirit unto you." God wrote the law (Torah) on the hearts of the believers. Three thousand souls were saved.
Summary
Celebrating Easter to commemorate Christ's resurrection is akin to concluding that Jesus was a prophet, teacher and a good man. Although true that he was all of those things, it is not the entire picture, and the entire picture paints Jesus for who and what he really was and is.
The reason it is important for us to know these things is that we all have an opportunity once a year to witness to two distinct groups of people: Christians who are unaware of the powerful witness that we have all just learned about; and non-believers who see Easter as a Christian holiday and little more than an anniversary celebration of Jesus' death. The story is not just about Jesus dying and the resurrection, but about Jesus being who the bible said he was in both the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy incarnate (literally), and the hope that the Messiah of the bible represents as proven by the same fulfilled prophecy.
As you attend church on Easter Sunday and if the opportunity presents itself as you communicate with friends, family and loved ones, go over this amazing story about Messiah the Prince and share with them the story that God intended we learn and understand. God could have picked any day or any time He so desired, but He didn't. God picked a set of very special days that He chose for very specific and special reasons, and one of the reasons for this was so that we could share the good news, the gospel, of Jesus the Christ!
References on the Internet to assist your further study
http://biblicalholidays.com/Excerpts/holiday_chart.htm
http://www.israelinbibleprophecy.com/daniels_math.htm
http://www.bethlehemstar.net/day/day.htm
http://www.e-sword.net/
http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-AS.html
http://www.kerux.com/documents/KeruxV4N1A1.asp
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