What does the Feast of Unleavened Bread mean for Christians? Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?

 What does the Feast of Unleavened Bread mean for Christians?

During the spring of each year (March-April in the northern hemisphere), immediately after Passover and before the Feast of Pentecost, another biblical feast is observed — the 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8; Exodus 12:17-18).

The Exodus from Egypt, which took place immediately after Passover during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Numbers 33:3), was one of the great events to occur during this time. The crossing of the Red Sea is traditionally assigned to the seventh or last day of Unleavened Bread.

After Israel entered the Promised Land, the miraculous conquest of Jericho also took place during the Days of Unleavened Bread. Other great events occurring during this time of year involved rededicating the people of God to their Creator. 2 Chronicles chapters 29 through 31 describe the religious reform led by Hezekiah, and chapters 34 and 35 tell of the reform by Josiah.

However, one other event that took place during the Days of Unleavened Bread had a much greater impact than any of these, and that was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 19:31 tells us He was crucified on the day before a Sabbath. While most people assume this was the regular weekly Sabbath (observed Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), John tells us this Sabbath "was a high day" — a term used for the seven annual Holy Days. A careful reading of the Gospels shows this "high day" was the first day of Unleavened Bread, a Holy Day (Leviticus 23:2, 6-7) that can fall on a weekday.

Jesus remained in the grave for three days and three nights just as He had prophesied (Matthew 12:40), making it impossible to reconcile Jesus' statement in Matthew 12 with a Friday afternoon crucifixion followed by a Sunday morning resurrection. (See "Jesus Wasn't Crucified on Friday—or Resurrected on Sunday!")

Three days and three nights from the time of His entombment, just before the beginning of the first Holy Day of Unleavened Bread, brings us to the sunset at the end of the weekly Sabbath, during the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, as the time Jesus was resurrected. On that Sunday, after His resurrection the day before, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) and then to others.

These Days of Unleavened Bread marked a turning point in the way the spring festival was celebrated. Christians observing these annual festivals would still recall the exodus from Egypt as a type of redemption from sin and release from the bondage of Satan. There would still be an emphasis on eating unleavened bread as a physical reminder we are to become spiritually unleavened by removing sin from our lives. But the core meaning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is that Jesus Christ, the One who was resurrected during this time, now lives His life in every Christian.

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of His own resurrection. During the last supper, He told the disciples that although He would soon be betrayed, He would live again: "Because I live, you will live also" (John 14:19). He had just promised they would not be left as orphans (verse 18)—that is, spiritually unprotected and vulnerable to Satan. Both the Father and He would live in the hearts and minds of Christians by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (verses 20-26), empowering us to overcome "the sin which so easily ensnares us" (Hebrews 12:1).

The Apostle Paul encouraged the church there to "keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness [lingering sinful attitudes], but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"(1 Corinthians 5:8) —a clear reference to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a festival that helps us focus on replacing sin with righteousness. We are reminded to "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), but the Apostle Paul was not preaching a works-based salvation. In verse 13 he explains "it is God who works in you both to will [that is, to have the desire to overcome] and to do [to act on that desire] for His good pleasure." In 2025 the Days of Unleavened Bread will be observed from sundown April 13-19. (See Holy Day Calendar)

• Source:

  The Good News magazine (Mar-Apr 2006)

• https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/what-does-the-feast-of-unleavened-bread-mean-for-christians

__________

Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?

by Mike Bennett

 Share

Most churches commemorate Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. But how does this fit with the sign of Jonah Jesus gave?

Good Friday afternoon to Easter Sunday sunrise does not add up to three days and three nights. This chart shows the chronology of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection that matches the biblical festivals and confirms the sign of Jonah. (See a larger version of this chart at the end of the article.)

Was Jesus in the tomb from Good Friday evening to Easter Sunday morning?

No, Jesus said that the sign that He was the Messiah was that He would be buried for “three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). In other words, He would be entombed for exactly 72 hours. It is impossible to fit 72 hours between Friday night and Sunday morning. When we closely study the Gospel accounts, we learn that Christ was entombed on a Wednesday evening and resurrected on a Saturday evening. 

As proof that He was the Messiah, Jesus Christ promised in advance exactly how much time He would spend in the grave. He called it “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

 

Why some Christians don't celebrate Easter

Every year elaborate Easter programs are prepared commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ often involving Easter sunrise services and colourful baskets of chocolate eggs and rabbits. But if this celebration is so important, why didn’t Jesus teach His apostles and the early Church to observe it?

Easter is associated with ancient fertility rites such as eggs and rabbits.

The books of the New Testament were written decades after Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, yet nowhere is any kind of Easter celebration described! Some cite Acts 12:4 as authority for celebrating Easter, but Easter isn’t really mentioned there at all. The King James Bible translators substituted “Easter” for the Greek word ‘Pascha’, which means “Passover.” The vast majority of Bible translations recognize the error in the King James Version and rightly translate the word in Acts 12:4 as “Passover”. The truth is, “there is no trace of Easter celebration in the [New Testament]” (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1986, Vol. 2, “Easter”).

So where exactly did Easter and its customs come from? The Encyclopaedia Britannica correctly records that: “At Easter, popular customs reflect many ancient pagan survivals—in this instance, connected with spring fertility rites, such as the symbols of the Easter egg and the Easter hare or rabbit” (15th edition, Macropaedia, Vol. 4, p. 605, “Church Year”). Many ancient pagan peoples marked the coming of spring with the worship of their gods and goddesses, particularly those associated with fertility. Among such deities were Baal and Astarte (or Ashtoreth) where the ceremonies included ritual sex to promote fertility throughout the land and the symbols of fertility—such as eggs and rabbits, which reproduce in great numbers.

“Associated with Ishtar was the young god Tammuz [mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14 ". . . In Babylonian mythology Tammuz died annually and was reborn year after year, representing the yearly cycle of the seasons and the crops...” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1995, “Gods, Pagan,” p. 509). Alan Watts, an expert in comparative religion, wrote: “It would be tedious to describe in detail all that has been handed down to us about the various rites of Tammuz.… and many others….But their universal theme—the drama of death and resurrection—makes them the forerunners of the Christian Easter, and thus the first ‘Easter services.” ( Easter: Its Story and Meaning, 1950, p. 58).

Early Catholic Church leaders merged customs and practices associated with this earlier “resurrected” god and spring fertility celebrations and applied them to the resurrected Son of God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains in the section titled “The Liturgical Year,” “At the Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter… should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon… after the vernal equinox” (1995, p. 332).

Up until this time, many believers had continued to commemorate Jesus’ death through the biblical Passover as Jesus and the Apostles had instructed (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). However, after the decision at the Council of Nicea, with the power of the Roman Empire behind it, the Catholic Church enforced its preference for Easter Sunday. Those who wished to continue to observe the biblical Passover had to go underground to avoid persecution.

We should ask ourselves if Jesus were on earth today, would He celebrate Easter or rather would He observe the biblical Passover as Scripture teaches and as He practiced and taught (John 13:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8).

• Source:

  Beyond Today magazine (Mar-Apr 2019)

• https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/christians-who-dont-celebrate-easter-what-do-they-know

 

Why should Christians keep the Passover?

In ancient Israel the first Passover was a time of deliverance, the rescuing of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The blood of the Passover lamb was smeared on the doorposts of those Israelites who put their trust in God, and He promised to deliver them from harm (Exodus 12:13-14 and 23). The Israelites were spared, while the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain.

The bread and wine of the annual Passover service was instituted by Jesus Christ.

Many years later, during Jesus Christ’s final Passover with His disciples, He introduced new symbols, which commemorate Him as “our Passover, [who] was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7). The observance of the New Testament Passover was revealed as the first step toward salvation. It reminds Christians not only of how God delivered ancient Israel out of Egypt, but of our deliverance from sin today.

All human beings are in slavery to corruption and death caused by sin: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and the Bible says, "the soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4 and 20). Only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, frees us from the bondage of sin. God will not compromise with His perfect law, and no human (other than Jesus Christ) has kept God's law perfectly.

God the Father willingly gave up His firstborn Son, and Jesus willingly poured out His life's blood, because there was no other way to save humanity from the consequences of our sins: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We also read that the wages of sin is death, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The Bible makes it clear that all who follow Christ should observe the New Testament Passover annually, as He did, in remembrance of His love and sacrifice for our sins and as a reminder of our commitment to God for what He has done in our lives. The Passover, and all the other annual Holy Days are permanent observances. God never intended them to be temporary observances we could discard at a later date, as is commonly taught today. (See Bible Insights Issue 273 What Did Paul Really Say in Colossians 2:16? for more detail)

Paul shows the earliest Christians not only observed the Passover annually—with its new symbols of bread and wine, instituted by Jesus Christ to represent His suffering and death—but that all Christians should continue observing it until Christ returns. Jesus indicated it will also continue to be observed in His Kingdom (Matthew 26:29). The Passover should be observed once a year as God has commanded on the annual date which is the anniversary of Christ's death for our sins. In 2026 the Passover will be observed on the evening of March 31 after sunset (For the correct dates for all of God's festivals see "The Annual Festivals of God"). 

Christ's supreme sacrifice by means of His crucifixion —which occurred precisely on the biblically commanded Passover date—is the foundation of the Christian faith. It reflects the all-encompassing love God has for His creation and His concern for the ultimate well-being of every human being.

• Source:

  The Good News magazine (Mar-Apr 1998)

• https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/why-should-christians-keep-the-passover

Speaking In Tongues

In some churches worship involves an emotional display of movement and sound as participants begin to “speak in tongues.” But is this really what is meant by biblical references to those who speak with the gift of tongues?

The New Testament describes the practice of Christians in the first century speaking in languages other than their own, which is generally referred to as speaking in tongues. The most dramatic episode is described in the book of Acts chapter 2, as mentioned in the previous article Pentecost And Our Need For The Holy Spirit.

We are told that: “At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem...and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers” (Acts 2:5-6). The Greek word here for language or tongue is “glossa,” meaning a known language. The miracle involved speaking in “known languages,” not mysterious babbling no one could comprehend.

These Jews and others who were called ‘God-fearers’ were from various countries in the Roman empire including Parthia, Media, Mesopotamia, Libya and Rome and would comprise the first peoples to begin spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. God showed by this miracle the message of salvation was to go to all nations in the world.

Another notable passage where speaking in tongues is addressed is in 1 Corinthians 14. Scripture suggests the Corinthians lacked understanding regarding spiritual gifts and, combined with the influence of their pagan past, it resulted in the problems Paul had to address.

Their worship services were disorderly, with members speaking with the “gift” of a foreign tongue being shouted down by others (1 Corinthians 14:26). This led to divisions with some feeling spiritually superior to others, and visitors being turned off by the disorder (1 Corinthians 14:23). Paul explains the gift of tongues or speaking in a foreign language was meant to be helpful and edifying, conveying knowledge, understanding and love. Those who spoke in tongues were meant to be instrumental in furthering the work of God, as was the case in the book of Acts.

Paul instructed if anyone spoke in a tongue or foreign language, there must be someone to interpret, so the congregation can understand (I Corinthians 14:6-17). Instead of several people talking at the same time, they were to take turns speaking while the congregation listened (ICorinthians 14:27-31). Finally Paul writes, “God is not the author of confusion,” (I Corinthians 14:33), leading to the obvious conclusion God was not the source of this chaos.

The Apostle Peter in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) outlines how Christians are to receive the Holy Spirit. He told them to repent and be baptized, in order to receive the gift of God’s Spirit (Acts 2:36-38). Some may think charismatic speaking in tongues is a sign of God’s presence,but speaking in tongues is the gift of being able to communicate in “known languages,” which God gives when He deems appropriate, and those who hear are edified and educated by what is said

• Source:

  Beyond Today Television

• https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-television-program/speaking-in-tongues

 

Why does God allow evil in the world?

Perhaps the main reason some people are atheists is they cannot satisfactorily reconcile a good God and an evil world. Julian Huxley wrote that the existence of evil "is a challenge to God's moral character" (Religion Without Revelation, 1957, p. 109), concluding that divine revelation and a divine Revelator do not exist.

In our supposedly enlightened society we've relegated Satan, the Devil, to the status of myth. (Image source: Envato)

English theologian Edwin Hatch queried: "How did a God who was almighty as well as beneficent come to create what is imperfect and evil?" (The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages Upon the Christian Church, 1995, Peabody, Massachusetts, p. 194). While physicist Paul Davies asked why God, if He truly is all-powerful, does not simply intervene and stop all evil: "Is God free to prevent evil?...If he is omnipotent….Why then does He fail to do so" (God and The New Physics, 1983, p. 143).

In our supposedly enlightened society we've relegated Satan, the Devil, to the status of myth. Through the centuries, people's belief in his existence has waxed and waned. Europeans devoutly believed in him in the Middle Ages and throughout the Renaissance, but in modern times the idea of a deceiving devil went out of style. On this subject, however, the only information that really matters is what the Bible provides, which tells us the devil exists as a powerful, evil being. But if Satan is responsible for evil, why doesn't God stop him?

The Devil is a created angel who rebelled against God and became His—and mankind's—adversary. (See Bible Insights Issue 136: The Origin Of Satan And His Demons for more information.) Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately began to experience life on Satan's level. Where God's focus is love and peace, Satan's is hate and violence. His primary purpose is to destroy humankind by enticing them to follow his way of destruction, abuse and murder. Through thousands of years of recorded history, Satan has influenced human beings to perpetrate the unimaginable against each other and, in wartime, against whole nations and peoples.

Jesus confirmed the Devil seduces people into committing atrocities, clearly identifying the source of the evil motivations of those who wanted to kill Him: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the Truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).

God's gift to us "is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). This is why Jesus Christ came and died. But before we can inherit eternal life, we must resist and overcome the temptation to do evil with the help of God’s Holy Spirit: "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12). (See the following article in this issue: Salvation Is Creation.)

God is all powerful. Yet He allows Satan to carry out his deceitful and destructive activities—within certain limits—for a purpose. God tests the character of every human being. Paul wrote, "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts" (1 Thessalonians 2:4, NIV). God’s desire is for mankind to learn the only way of life that will work is the way of life He reveals in His Word, the Bible. He wants humanity to learn that "the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jeremiah 10:23) and that Satan's way leads to misery and suffering.

When Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will immediately expel Satan from his position of influence and deception, and restrain him (Revelation 20:1-3), preparing the way for the establishment of His Kingdom on earth.

• Source:

  The Good News Magazine (Nov-Dec, 2010)

• https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/did-god-create-people-evil

 

Every second counts

There are 24 hours in a day but, for many of us, it sometimes feels like that is not enough. We all have control over how we spend much of our time. The Apostle Paul advised: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Time is such a precious commodity (Image source: Envato)

Three factors may be influencing our decisions relating to how our time is spent.

 

Overcommitment

If we are just too busy and overcommitted we may miss some important opportunities to draw closer to God. Consider Martha, the sister of Mary of Bethany, who was unable to listen to Jesus because she was too involved with food preparation. Her well-intentioned actions denied her the opportunity to learn directly from Christ (Luke 10:38-42).

Distraction

Becoming distracted from what we should be focussing on can also take up our time with less important issues. For example: It’s easy to spend too much time on television, social media, the internet or some hobbies.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus explained various reasons why some failed to follow Him, describing the third of these groups as follows: “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:18-19 NKJV).

Some people hear God's Word but get distracted by worldly concerns which can decrease the time we spend studying God’s Word and "choke" our spiritual growth.The writer of Psalm 119 asked God to “turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me [give me life] in Your way” (verse 37).

Priorities

Because time is such a precious commodity, we should ask ourselves, "Is there something else that should be given higher priority at this time?" Sometimes writing a list can help us concentrate on what is most important. At the top of our time priority list should be prayer, studying God’s word and meditation, i.e. reflecting on our studies (Psalm 119:15). We also need to see things from God’s perspective and spend time applying what we are learning. One reason we spend time with God in prayer and study so that we will begin to think as He does. Moses knew that taking each day and making it count for good was man’s real purpose and exclaimed in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Colossians 4:5 tells us:. "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." We must always remember that we can never get back or replace a day that has passed. Our lives on this earth don’t last forever. King David knew this when he wrote in Psalms 103:14-16, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.” I Chronicles 29:15 expounds the same truth: “For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.’”

The key to redeeming our time is to remember the purpose of our life as Solomon concluded: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Although our years of life are few, Jesus assures us that this life is not the end, but the beginning. Jesus said to Martha, before he raised Lazarus from the dead, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die….” (John 11:25-26).

• Source:

  Beyond Today British Supplement (Jul-Aug, 2025)

• https://ucg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Supplement-July-August-2025.pdf

_________