Happy and Blessed Resurrection Day Everyone! He is Risen! I know everyone is hoping for a rapture today! But if it doesn’t happen today I wonder if we get another chance at it next Sunday on Orthodox Easter? Not that I necessarily think the Eastern Orthodox Church is getting this one right but as always we are trying to take a peeky peeky at the calendar God is using because that is all that is important - so I want you to explore a certain scripture with me and see if you come up with the same conclusion as I do. Why do we celebrate Easter on Sunday - because it’s the Lord’s day right? Well how did it get to be the Lord’s day? Why Did He pick Sunday to rise on? It is not arbitrary, but scriptural and the answer is to be found in Leviticus 23:10-11 ““Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” Here lets look at the instructions - this is speaking of the Feast of Firstfruits which occurs after the Feast of passover on the day after the Sabbath. So the first thing to recognize was that when this was written, Sunday was not recognized as the Sabbath Saturday was, so the day after the Sabbath WAS Sunday - this is why Jesus HAD to rise on Sunday because that was the only day the Feast of First fruits could occur - so that is why Sunday became the Lord’s Day it was prescribed to be that way form the time Moses wrote the Torah. Ok, here is where we are going to get into the weeds a little bit and I hope I don’t lose some of you - I am going to explain to you how the traditional Jewish interpretation/practice of this timetable is carried out and remember it really doesn’t matter if their interpretation is correct, but consider this might be how God is interpreting this instruction which would place Easter/Resurrection Day one week from now on Orthodox Easter. So the traditional interpretation of this scripture from the Jewish perspective is that since this calls out for the first fruits to be offered on the first day of the week, the day after the sabbath - that this would necessitate there being a regular sabbath in between Passover and first fruits. Because Sabbath is a regular weekly occurrence listed first in Leviticus 23 and taking precedence over the other annual feasts. On the year when Jesus was crucified, there was no issue, He was crucified on Passover, there was a regular Sabbath that occurred in between and then He rose on Sunday, which that year was the Feast of Firstfruits so that He could fulfill that too - so far so good, easy peasy right? But there are years when this isn’t so straightforward, and 2022 is one of those years - so what might muddy the waters you ask? When Passover falls on a Saturday/Sabbath then it throws a monkey wrench in the works because according to Jewish reckoning they cannot celebrate a regular sabbath on that day because they are busy celebrating Passover - so in this case, like this year 2022, what will happen is, Passover falls on a Saturday, so the Jews will let the rest of the week go by, celebrate one regular, average Saturday Sabbath and then the next first day/Sunday would be the feast of first fruits. From our perspective this would be next week on Orthodox Easter. I know this can be a little confusing and it is like competing interpretations and theories - is a Jubilee year the 50th year in a 50 year cycle or year 1 of another 49 year cycle? Is Pentecost 50 days after first fruits or 50 plus another 49? There are all kinds of differing interpretations of the timing of events prescribed in the law - so bear in mind, I am only putting this forth because we really cannot be certain of how this command was meant to be practiced and how is God viewing His calendar? So in closing, IF the rapture doesn’t happen today - might we have a second chance at another high watch day next Sunday on Orthodox Easter? Deep stuff, I know. Actually every day these days is a high watch day - we are living in those times when it is that close. Thoughts? Incidentally, as a post script, this year Orthodox Easter falls on April 24. This is also the one year anniversary of my mom’s death, so it would really be nice to see her again (but it would be even nicer to see her a week earlier - if the resurrection/rapture happens to be TODAY!) Happy Easter and resurrection day!!! Indeed rightly dividing His words! Very plausible conjecture as well! TR Also by the way as a PPS.. If we don’t go today, and if we don’t go next Sunday on Orthodox Easter and if we then start turning our eyes towards Pentecost (which also coincides with Leviticus 23 Shavuot- Feast of Weeks) Then furthermore, this whole concept that I explained above can potentially shift Pentecost Sunday forward by one week also since the countdown to Pentecost is started on Firstfruits and is determined by what day Firstfruits falls on - so if Firstfruits/Resurrection day is one week later, than of necessity so would Pentecost/Shavuot. By the way, the Jews do not reckon it this way but have a fixed date for Shavuot every year which is not according to the instructions given in Leviticus 23 (to the best of my understanding) - but if we get to that point (hopefully not!). I’ll start an new post and explain that more fully as we get closer. Fun stuff, no wonder it will be on a day or hour that we do to expect, how can we expect it when God won’t let us know exactly what calendar or method of day count He is using! And yes, its frustrating being me sometimes, that’s just my nature - I always tried to peek at my Christmas presents under the tree too when I was a kid! One Day Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain, One day they left Him alone in the garden, One day the grave could conceal Him no longer, One day the trumpet will sound for His coming, A joyous Resurrection Day to all my brothers and sisters!!! Great song Susan, one of my favorites, love it! One day, our patience and faith will be validated and rewarded! One day, we shall be called up yonder! One day, we shall stand in His very presence! One day, we shall know the fullness of His love for us! One day, we shall enter eternity without end! TR O death where is thy sting, O grave where is thy victory? Because He lives we can face tomorrow … He is risen! One little niggle. Yeshua/Jesus technically rose from the dead on a Saturday. It was after sundown on Saturday which is the first day of the week, in any case. Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown is the first day of the week. However, of course, the truly monumental thing is that Yeshua/Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death. Death is now a defeated enemy! All who put their trust in Yeshua/Jesus for their salvation will rise from beneath the earth or rise from the earth. 
We are still here. 🙁
One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin—
Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected;
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He.
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He.
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore.
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
So, Happy Resurrection Sunday to all!
