The Truth About Easter (Part 1)
When referring to the annual Christian remembering of Christ resurrection, we prefer to use the term Resurrection Sunday rather than “Easter”. As Christians, we would hasten to point out that the fact that we believe Jesus did live, die and rose again is more important and profitable to the redemption of man, because like Christmas, Easter is another example of mixture between paganism and Christianity.
Biblically, from where then, did Easter observance come? Did the early church dye Easter eggs? Did Peter or Paul ever conduct an Easter sunrise service? The answers are of course obvious. The observance of the remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ is not just an annual thing but as Christ instructed “as often as you eat my flesh and drink my blood in what is referred to as the Lord’s supper, you do show forth my death.”
“Take, eat….. after the same manner also he took “the cup, when he had supped saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often (not just annually) as ye eat this bread and drink this cup. Ye do show the Lord’s death till he come “(I Corinth. 11:24-26). However, Easter has come to stay for the world.
ORIGIN AND ROOT OF EASTER.
The word “Easter” appears once in the King James Version: “………. Intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people “(Acts 12:4). In this context the usage of the word “Easter” is pascha, the Greek word for Passover-as all scholars know. However, it is a well known fact that the word Easter is not a Christian expression-not in its original meaning. The name “Easter” has its root in ancient polytheistic religion (Paganism). This name is never used in the Original scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Easter/Ishtar (Semiramis) the mother goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis after God confounded their language that they may not understand one another’s speech. (Genesis 11:7) some called the mother Goddess “ISHTAR” (but pronounced in modern day “EASTER”).
In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera and Eastre. Other names for semiramis, the mother Goddess include wife of Baal (Mary is substituted today as the mother of God to Christianize the paganic name) Ashtoreth, and Queen of Heaven (another reference to Mary too today).
SCRIPTURAL ORDINACES ASSOICATED WITH CHRIST DEATH
THE LORD’S SUPPER, the drinking of the blood of Jesus Christ in a symbol of wine and eating His body also symbolized in unleavened bread remains the only scriptural ordinance commanded, instructed, ordered and exemplified by the Lord Jesus Christ to be done often. The Christians in the early church ensured it was an integral part of their fellowship with the insight in Acts 2:36 “And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. The other ordinance is the entry point of admission into the fellowship of the body of saints which is WATER BAPTISM by immersion in the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. Acts 2:38 (NOT THE USUAL TITLES OF FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST). Water Baptism is another symbol of dying with Christ and resurrecting to the newness of life. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? (Romans 6:3-4). A third ordinance has to do with the worshippers of Christ who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior and admitted into fellowship upon hearing the gospel and believing it and yielding unto water baptism, may partake of FEET WASHING.(John 13:17). A symbol of humbling ourselves to one another with the capability of protecting and covering the weaknesses of one another in love. That is what feet washing symbolizes (Rom. 13:5-17) “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if you love one another.(John 15:13).
No other religious rites was so instructed scripturally as seen practiced today.
SOME OLD CHURCH FABLES WOVEN INTO CHRIST DEATH.
Numerous Easter customs and traditions had their beginnings among non-Christian religions. Some of these are namely:
ASH WEDNESDAY: Another old fable associated with Christ death when many Catholics abstain from most substituting fish in its place. Certainly the scripture never associate fish with Friday or Christ death:
EASTER EGGS, where eggs are colored, hid, hunted, and eaten-a custom done innocently today but anciently, it’s a sacred symbol among the Babylonians.
SUNRISE SERVICE OR GALILEE: it is not uncommon for Christians to attend sunrise services. It is assumed that such honor Christ because he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning just as the sun was coming up. But when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb it was yet dark and the tomb was already empty (John 20:1). However Christians may worship anytime but no scripture supports this traditional Easter sunrise service.
LENT seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Christ that anchors the Easter remembrance of good Friday and Easter Sunday. This practice or belief was adopted into the church from the pagan practice to commemorate the death and resurrection of Tammuz or Nimrod. The catholic Encyclopedia very honestly points out that “Writers in the fourth century were prone to describe many practices (e.g, the Lenten fast for forty days ) as of Apostolic institution which certainly had no scriptural claim to be so regarded. It was not until the sixth century that the pope officially ordered the observance of lent, calling it a “Sacred fast”. Is there a bible instruction to such a 40 days fast?
