Christians celebrating Easter Sunday on wrong day — ahead of Jesus' crucifixion, pastor claims

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, a mural in fresco and tempera by Piero della Francesca (1420-1492) done in 1463. The artwork is currently displayed at the Museo Civico di Sansepolcro in Sansepolcro, Italy.(Wikipedia)

Christians are now looking forward to celebrating Easter Sunday, the holiest day for the Christian faithful, after commemorating the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

A pastor, however, believes that Christians have been commemorating the day of Jesus' resurrection on the wrong date—even a month ahead of the correct anniversary of His crucifixion.

Pastor Mark Biltz, the head of El Shaddai Ministries, claimed that Christian believers are deviating more and more from the correct date when Easter Sunday should be celebrated, as reflected in the Holy Bible.

"Why do believers celebrate the Resurrection of the Messiah before his actual death? This is what happens when we follow the traditions of men, rather than the Bible," Biltz, author of "Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs," said in an article on WND.com.

The pastor explained that according to Leviticus 23:5, the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus had His Last Supper with His disciples, should be celebrated on the 14th day of the first month.

Blitz said this does not mean January, as most people would interpret this Bible verse. Instead, this refers to the Nisan, the first month of the biblical calendar, or at sundown on April 22—way past the date of Easter Sunday this year, which falls on March 27.

The pastor urged Christians to re-examine the Scriptures and start using the Biblical calendar again as basis for celebrations.

"The main reason for Christians to return to the biblical calendar is to understand prophetic events and to understand prophecy," Blitz said.

"Biblical prophecy is fulfilled according to the biblical calendar. If we want to understand what's coming prophetically, we need to be on that calendar. How can we make the connection to what the Lord did in the past, and hope to understand what God will do in the future, when we aren't making that initial connection?" he added.