Holy Week

Originally posted by The Disciple…: ↑

Hey Star, thanks for sharing this—it’s clear you’ve taken the time to connect some powerful scriptures from Zechariah and Revelation, and I really appreciate the emphasis on Yeshua fulfilling prophecy. That said, I wanted to gently ask a sincere question that’s been on my heart.

You titled this “Holy Week,” which made me wonder: are you aligning this with the traditional Easter calendar or the biblical Passover as outlined in the Torah?

Because as you probably know, Yeshua's triumphal entry, crucifixion, and resurrection didn’t happen according to the modern-day Gregorian Easter cycle, but during the Feast of Passover — the 14th day of the month of Aviv (Nisan). The Scriptures in Exodus 12 and Leviticus 23 are clear that Passover is YHWH’s appointed time, not something man-made.

The Church of Rome later shifted the observance to align with the pagan spring festival of Ishtar (which morphed into “Easter) separating it from its true roots in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So when people speak of “Holy Week,” it often follows those same traditions — and I believe it's important to question: are we honoring the timeline YHWH gave us, or the one man constructed?

You quoted powerful verses showing Yeshua’s fulfillment of prophecy — but wouldn’t it be even more powerful to anchor this in the context of the biblical feasts, which He Himself fulfilled in detail? It’s Passover right now (14–20 April), and it would be beautiful to point people back to what Scripture really says, not what tradition has taught over time.

Just something to consider, brother. All glory to YHWH, and thank you again for sharing truth that points people back to Yeshua.

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Thank you for your kind remarks. The time and effort it took for me to prepare and post the details was not significant simply because I learned much of it from our teachings in the previous fellowship meeting I attend to study the Bible and other matters pertaining to our Greek Orthodox church. I have added more details from Zechariah, Matthew, Acts and Revelation for completeness.

As to the question you posed to me, I follow the Greek Orthodox Holy Week and Pascha calendar, not the Easter calendar system used by most Western churches or the Jewish one. Please note that I do not object to what others do with regards to how they follow various Christian traditions and systems for Holy Week, Pascha or Easter. I respect all of them, including the Messianic Jewish ones. My focus is on spiritual matters, not the exact procedures on how to worship our God. If I were a Roman Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, or whatever, I would follow what they do, not because I felt it's the best or perfect way but because it's their tradition. When attending a particular church, I would be expected to follow at least some of its traditions. One doesn't have to follow all of them. I certainly don't in Greek Orthodoxy. That doesn't make me a heretic in that church. My priest understands and respects what I do. He understands my intentions and beliefs, in particular how Salvation is obtained, which happens to be the most important thing and he agrees with me. What surprised me was how he explained that the Orthodoxy in general (which includes the Eastern Orthodox - Greek, Russian and others as well as Oriental Orthodox - Syriac, Coptic and others) always took that approach. The criticism I had was that he and the Orthodoxy in general don't go out of their way to teach all that. I think I can understand why. After the seed is planted in peoples' hearts and minds by the church, and certain doctrinal truths are taught, it's left up to the individual to find out as much of the Truth as possible by studying the Scriptures with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That's what happened to me. It took me years to figure it out. I tend to be a slow learner but at least I got there. Glory to God.

I've come to the conclusion that the various churches I've examined and in some cases attended for a time (I won't embarrass myself listing the ones I attended before I settled back into my roots - Greek Orthodoxy) that pre-suppose to be Christian, follow certain laws and rules that distinguishes them from the others. No matter how many laws we keep, we are all sinners as you know. So, the reason that we can be saved is because of who Christ is and what He did for us on the cross and beyond, not because we follow any particular law or combination of laws. Following them after coming to Christ though is good and proper. The focus on the laws and rules alone tends to steer people back onto themselves instead of Christ. For some people, this focus may be a certain style of worship. The extreme cases are those Christians who follow all the Holy Days, not just the Sabbath and/or Pentecost, and also all the dietary rules of the Old Testament, and/or don't go to funerals, and/or don't take blood transfusions, and/or don't believe in birthdays, etc.. I respect those who do all that provided they understand and believe in the way we obtain Salvation as I do. I expect in return respect for the way I conduct my worship of the Lord in the Greek Orthodoxy. God knows the hearts of all true believers and followers of our Lord and Saviour no matter which church they attend as well as how they conduct their worship, and God will judge accordingly in their rewards given their destiny is assured and safe. God Bless.