Why Paul’s command to “keep the feast” is metaphorical—not calendrical Quick Answer Bottom Line: No. In 1 Corinthians 5:7–8, Paul is not instructing Christians to observe the Passover feast. He uses Passover imagery to call the church to ongoing holiness. “Keep the feast” describes a Christ-shaped way of life—not a command to follow the Torah... Continue Reading →
Is Easter an Ishtar Celebration in Disguise? One of the most common claims circulating online about Easter is this: “Easter is actually the pagan festival of Ishtar, the Babylonian fertility goddess.” You’ll often see this claim accompanied by images of eggs, rabbits, and ancient Mesopotamian gods. According to the theory, the church supposedly replaced a... Continue Reading →
Why Doesn’t Easter Always Occur During Passover? If Easter is tied to Passover, a fair question follows: Why doesn’t Easter always land during Passover each year? Some people take that mismatch as “evidence” that Easter must have been detached from the Bible and tied to paganism. But the real explanation is far more ordinary—and far... Continue Reading →
Why Does Easter Change Every Year? How the Date of Easter Is Determined One of the interesting things about most holidays is that they fall on the same day every year. We know that Valentine’s Day is February 14, Christmas is December 25, and Thanksgiving—while not tied to a specific date—always occurs on the fourth... Continue Reading →
Is Easter in the Bible? Growing up in independent Baptist churches meant I was very familiar with the King James Version of the Bible. For most of my life, I never thought much about the holiday of Easter beyond what we celebrated each spring—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But in recent years, as questions and... Continue Reading →
What Paul really meant by “shadow… but the substance is Christ” Does Colossians 2:16–17 teach that Christians must keep the biblical feasts and Sabbath? Many Hebrew Roots and Torah observance teachers argue that Paul is saying the feasts still point forward and therefore remain binding. But when the Greek text, historical context, and Paul’s wider... Continue Reading →
This post is part of our series, The World of the Bible, which explores the history, geography, and everyday realities that help Scripture make sense in its original context. The World of the Bible Why Were They Selling Animals and Exchanging Money in the Temple? (John 2:14) When Jesus entered the temple courts, He found... Continue Reading →
This post is part of our series, The World of the Bible, which explores the history, geography, and everyday realities that help Scripture make sense in its original context. The World of the Bible The Temple That Took 46 Years to Build (John 2:20) — What Were They Referring To? In John 2, the leaders... Continue Reading →
Why Paul’s command to “keep the feast” is metaphorical—not calendrical Quick Answer Bottom Line: No. In 1 Corinthians 5:7–8, Paul is not instructing Christians to observe the Passover feast. He uses Passover imagery to call the church to ongoing holiness. “Keep the feast” describes a Christ-shaped way of life—not a command to follow the Torah... Continue Reading →
Why This Entry Matters Few events in the Bible carry as much theological weight as Passover. It stands at the center of Israel’s redemption story and becomes foundational for understanding the death of Christ in the New Testament. Over the years, Passover has also become a focal point in discussions about: Christian observance of biblical... Continue Reading →