Easter and Its Myths

By Evangelist Ron Davis, minister of Christ

Why do some Christians celebrate Easter and reason among themselves, it's okay with the True God?

The Easter celebration is hailed as the "most important" of all “so-called” Christian holidays. Those who want to celebrate and to persuade you to indulge in the paganism of these holidays love to use a certain logic, which when carried through is not logic at all. This kind of logic is used to defend their behavior in worshipping God, who is Spirit with pagan festivals. That is these Christians say, if we must stop celebrating Easter, Xmas, and other man-made Christian holidays because they are pagan in origin then we must not "participate" in any other pagan activities or ceremonies because they to are pagan in origin. These Easter lovers say things like the days of the week are named after pagan gods, so we should not observe these days either since they like Easter is named after pagan gods. The one thing these smooth talkers leave out is this: when we recognize the days of the week we do not say we are worshipping God or these pagan gods because these days are named for some pagan god or goddess. But, Easter and Xmas lovers do use pagan rituals to worship the One True God [See Rev. 2:14, 20 and Rev. 9:20]. This makes their behavior a sin, for an idol or pagan ritual is nothing until the one involve with it claim it represent a god or the attributes of the Living God by using it in their worship. Those who use symbols such as crosses, doves or fishes in the worship of God the Father and His Christ make these symbols sinful by attributing God's glory to them. As the Scripture says,

·         2 Corinthians 6:16-18… “16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you [or we] are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them, and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people" [Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38 and Ezekiel 37:27]. 17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you" [Isaiah 52:11 and Ezekiel 20:34,41]. 18 "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty" [2 Samuel 7:14]”.

Why does the Easter day of celebration move to a different date each year between March 22 and April 25?

The so-called Bible scholars of this world's churches claim the earlier Christians, those Christians spoken of in the New Testament, prior to the Council of Nicea in 325 AD did not establish dates for these so-called Christian festivals (Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, Lent, etc.). Their reasoning why is that these Christians were being persecuted by the Jewish leadership and the Roman government, and didn't have the time. [This reasoning is strange indeed, because these same persecuted Christians managed to write New Testament Scriptures without even mentioning these so-called Christian festivals]. Then it's said along came the Roman Emperor called Constantine, who converted to Christianity to save his empire; he wanted to win the support of the populace. Christianity had been spreading rapidly, Constantine thought if he could not stop Christianity then he would control it. Yet, Constantine did not want Christianity to have any thing in common with Judaism. And with the help of those Romans and Greeks, and also some Jews who had accepted Christianity after Constantine declared it legal. That's right the Roman Empire after declaring that Christianity was now legal, a state religion, they established the time period to celebrate this so-called Christian festival referred to as “Easter”, a name they came up with at this same council, its also called by some today as "Resurrection Sunday". This Council of Nicea in AD 325 under the direction of Constantine decreed that the celebration of Jesus' resurrection would always be on a Sunday, and the Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox was chosen.

This decreed was given primarily against celebrating Christ's Passover on the fourteenth of Nisan, the date of the beginning of the Jewish Passover, which by the way is written down in Scripture by those previous persecuted Christians (1 Cor. 11:20). The Roman Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicea wanted all Christians to celebrate the resurrection on a Sunday. For even in Rome there was confusion among those celebrating Easter, some were celebrating Easter the nearest Sunday to the Passover. Also, Rome and Alexandria used different dates in determining the spring equinox, which caused some congregations in Rome and Alexandria to celebrate Easter on different days. Even to this date Easter is still determined by using the first Sunday after the spring equinox; but because the Western churches uses the Gregorian calendar and the Eastern churches uses the Julian calendar they still come up with different dates. These Christians still have different dates for Easter, but they still all make sure it's celebrated on a Sunday.

Now, this decreed to celebrate the resurrection on a Sunday were not accepted by all Christians at the time, and those who did not accept the date was declared heretics. Also, those who had been celebrating the Lord's death on the fourteenth of Nisan, the Jewish Passover date according to the Jewish calendar were declared heretics because of this decreed. [This fourteenth day in the month of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar corresponds to the Roman calendar (our current calendar today) months of March and April]. These Christians celebrating, the Passover, the Lord's death, also called the "Lord's Supper" (1 Cor. 11:20) were persecuted even though Christ Himself had given them this command to "do this in remembrance of Me" the night of His last meal with His disciples as spoken of in Luke 22:1-20. Jesus said to His twelve apostles in Luke 22:15-20, "15…'With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God'. 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you. I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes'. 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. 20 Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you'" (Luke 22:15-20). There are some so-called bible scholars who claim this was the beginning of the celebration of Easter, which as you can see couldn't be further from the truth; Christ clearly called this a "Passover" in verse 15 above not Easter, and He spoke of His death, not His resurrection. In 1 Corinthian 11:23-26, the Spirit through the apostle Paul says this, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me" speaking of His body (1 Cor. 11:24). Again speaking of His shed blood, Christ says, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor.11:25). It is clearly shown in the above verses that Christ Jesus wanted us to remember and commemorate His death, not His resurrection.

Christians who celebrate Easter use the line "it's the meaning that matter" not the date to counter this difference in dates.

These Easter Christians say the resurrection happen and it was a joyful event, the basis of Christian hope, and should be celebrated by all Christians regardless of the date. Now, we can all be assured that the resurrection happen (1 Cor. 15), and the resurrection from the dead is the hope of all Christians (Phil. 3:7-11); but Christ Jesus dying for our sins is more important, for Jesus Himself declares it in Luke 22. It was once asked, which is more important Christ Jesus dying or Christ Jesus being born? Here are more pertinent questions, why did Christ come in the form of the Man Jesus? Why did Christ Jesus die? If Christ Jesus had not died for our sins where would we stand today? Here's one for you, if Christ had not paid our death penalty would we know of His resurrection? Ponder these things.

But back to this matter of the date, in recent years, the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches held a council in Aleppo, Syria in March 1997 to use astronomical prediction to determine Easter's date. This astronomical prediction would use the Sunday after the Jerusalem meridian date of the first Full Moon following the March equinox, which will basically change the date to one corresponding to the Gregorian calendar reckoning date. The date would still change each year, but still always held on a Sunday.

What about this name "Easter"?

The Council of Nicea in 325 AD with the blessing of the Roman Emperor Constantine did not just choose the name "Easter" out of a hat. As we will see from the historian Bede who in the eighth century wrote that the word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility, called Eastre. Therefore, the Romans had a reason for changing the celebration of Jesus' death, which was on the Jewish Passover date of the fourteenth Nisan to a Sunday. And the reason was that the people under the rule of the Roman government already celebrated many festivals during the springtime, which was associated with the goddess of spring and fertility. Constantine realizing the people of those provinces would not be willing to give up their old religious celebrations of the fertility and new life goddess, so he decided to make the Easter festivals into a Christian celebration instead.

Also, it is said the English word Easter comes from the Scandinavian word "Ostra" and the German / Teutonic word "Ostern" or "Eastre" both were goddesses of myths for the spring, dawn and fertility festival celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. In other European languages the name for the Easter festival is based on the Hebrew word "pasah", to pass over giving it only in word a biblical origin. The activities and beliefs around this "pasah" celebration among Christians celebrating resurrection Sunday, called Easter are still pagan in origin.

Myths of Easter:

Easter have many strange myths and traditions surrounding its celebration. Most of these myths are taken directly from the traditions and activities used to worship the fertility goddess of the times. There are times I am amaze, yet not surprise at the way some Christians are so willing to accept pagan traditions to worship the Living God in heaven, who is Spirit (John 4:21-24).

First, there is the Easter rabbit used to symbolize fertility because of the rabbit's ability to rapidly multiply. The rabbit or hare was probably, introduced to the United States by the German settlers in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. The idea of the Easter bunny leaving gifts for the children who believe they had been good through out the year came out of Germany also. [Reminds you of another certain character around those "Xmas lovers" holiday]. Have you ever asked yourself, why rabbits are shown in Easter traditions as laying eggs? I mean, when was the last time in real life did you see a rabbit lay an egg? Yet, Christians justify their behavior with the Easter bunny by quoting Scripture they claim support their paganism.

Then we have the colored Easter eggs, which were traditional painted with bright colors to represent the sun- rays of springtime. The Easter egg like the rabbit symbolizes fertility and also new life. There were also egg rolling contests, and gift giving of painted eggs for fertility in homes of young couples. These eggs with painted images on them were also exchanged among romantic admirers. [These romantic lovers exchanging gifts in times past on Easter reminds you of another Christian holiday more commonly observed today by non-Christians called Saint Valentine day]. In each cultural in the past, this pagan ritual of giving eggs were somewhat different; for instance, in Germany eggs were given to the children, as Easter celebrants do today in the United States. Here's a blasphemous act, in Greece and other countries the eggs are painted red to represent the "blood of Christ", and exchanged as gifts. Then we have the people of Armenia painting "so-called" pictures of Jesus, Mary, as well as other religious designs on the eggs, another blasphemous act (Exodus 20:3-6 and Isaiah 42:8).

Other man-made traditions surrounding this pagan holiday called "Easter":

First, we have the "Lent" season, which is observed over the forty or more days prior to this pagan Easter celebration. Earlier Roman churches fasted prior to their Easter holiday. Then a pope called Gregory I, established a period of forty days fasting for the Roman churches, which excludes Sundays. The Roman churches also developed a food of flour, salt and water, which were eaten during the Lent fasting period. Today, this food is called "pretzels", the name came from the Germans. Next, there's "ash" Wednesday, where Christians in times past placed ashes on their foreheads. Even the much loved holiday celebrated mostly by non-Christians today called "Mardi Gras", French for the phrase "Fat Tuesday" is part of the ancient religious celebration surrounding Easter where the people "ate, drank, and made merrymaking like it's no tomorrow" prior to beginning their fast during the Lent fast.

We also have the tradition of the "sunrise service" from the Roman churches of Germany. The story goes like this the Christian young men in Germany went to a cemetery at dawn one Easter Sunday, what followed is the tradition of going to a cemetery on Easter at sunrise, later becoming a sunrise service of meditation. In the 1700s, German settlers brought this same behavior of Christians going to some cemetery at sunrise on Easter Sunday to meditate to the United States. Also, prior to the holiday called Easter Sunday with its pagan traditions, we have the week called "holy week". This week begins with "Palm Sunday" called after Christ's entry into Jerusalem, also including "Maundry Thursday" and "good Friday" all given to the churches of this world as religious holidays by the state religion of the Roman Empire, which took on the name Christianity.

Easter a man-made holiday given by man to be observed in lieu of God's Holy days:

These "Easter celebrants" as well as "Xmas lovers" love to quote verses in the Holy Bible to describe their holidays, claiming these verses give them authority to celebrate their holiday. I mean, these Christians are saying to you let us look in the Bible and find some verses to support creating a holiday to celebrate and worship God. Never mind that God never ordained such days, for they say, "God will honor these holidays because it happen in the Bible, these events actually happen". And saying, if the Bible speaks of it then what's wrong with inventing a holiday? Well, I can think of one very important reason: that is, those who created these holidays do not want you to celebrate the Holy days given to us by God. [Yes, I know these days were under the Old Covenant]. And they say these days are in the Old Testament and were done away with; yet, these same Christians say you should tithe to them even though tithing is in the Old Testament also, and it also was done away with under the New Covenant. And here's one even more important reason; that is this: the Holy Spirit tells us of another religious celebration set-up in lieu of God's holy days in 1 Kings 12.

Now, in 1 Kings 12, we have the first king of Israel after God divided the nation into two nations with the throne of David and the tribes of Levi, Judah and Benjamin remaining in the nation which would be called Judah (Read 1 Kings 11:26-40 and 1 Kings 12:22-24). Another nation of the other ten tribes retained the name Israel, and was given to a man called Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:15). Below the Spirit tells us how the separating of the nation of Israel occurred. It started with King Solomon son Rehoboam (verse 6):

Now, Jeroboam who was made king over the ten tribes, which retained the name "Israel" while the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi became the nation of Judah after this spilt from God. As we see verses 3-5, the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam, the king of Israel asking him for tax relief, which his father King Solomon had placed upon the people to build the temple. King Solomon also used forced labor from among the ten tribes of the nation of Israel to build the temple; this is probably why the ten tribes are the ones bringing the complaint (verse 4 and 18). King Solomon’s son King Rehoboam asked the advice of the elders who were in his father's service, but he rejected their advice to give the people a "favorable answer". Then he asked the young men who grew up with him; and they realizing the advise the elders had advised, these young men advised King Rehoboam with what he wanted to hear, that is to increase the yoke of the ten tribes (verses 10-11). All this happen because God had already foretold these events in 1 Kings 11:26-40 and 1 Kings 12:22-24, saying He would "tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give" (1 Kings 11:31 NIV) ten tribes to Jeroboam. God did this because of Solomon’s sin, which he caused the people of Israel to sin also. But for David’s sake God would not perform this prophecy while Solomon ruled because He had made Solomon king all the days of his life. Yet, God would perform this when Solomon’s son Rehoboam was king, leaving Rehoboam the tribe of Judah because of David’s sake and Jerusalem whom God had chosen (1 Kings 11:32-36).

Once Jeroboam had kingship over the ten tribes of Israel, which God gave to him, he was determined to hold on to it at all cost. The first thought came to his mind was to insure the people did not go back up to Jerusalem to celebrate the festivals of God (1 Kings 12:26-27). Saying to himself the people would kill me and return to King Rehoboam, and that if they went back to Jerusalem to worship the One True God then they would give their allegiance back to the king of Judah. So, Jeroboam decided after counsel to set up another holiday to be celebrated in lieu of God’s eight day "festival held in Judah" on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (1 Kings 12:32). Jeroboam, the king of Israel "instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eight month" (see 1 Kings 12:32, which corresponds to the Roman calendar eleventh and twelfth months today). Jeroboam built "two golden calves" and said these were the gods, which brought the ten tribes up out of Egypt (Sound familiar?). Notice, what the Holy Spirit says about Jeroboam creating a holiday, this holiday was in "a month of his own choosing" (1 Kings 12:33). The Easter celebration was chose on a day of the council of Nicea in AD 325 own choosing. As Jeroboam instituted a "festival for the Israelites", so did the council of Nicea institute a festival name “Easter” for the state religion called Christianity. As the festival created by Jeroboam caused the people to sin, so do the holiday Easter cause the people to sin against God. The ten tribes of the nation Israel celebrated a holiday like God’s eight-day festival, but in a different month, a month of their own choosing. Also, the king of Israel, Jeroboam could claim as these Easter celebrants do today, that his eight-day holiday was rooted in the word of God. As these Easter lovers claim, the hymn “Christ, the Lord is Risen Today” is rooted in the word of God. Because each verse of the hymn can be found in Scripture, they say this makes it okay to celebrate, which is strange logic because there are many hymns about Bible verses; yet, that do not make them commanded by God to worship Him with such a holiday nor to create a holiday about these verses. Easter celebrants today claims God honor their holiday, yet Scripture tells us otherwise.

As the Holy Spirit says by the prophet Amos in chapter five of his book,

·         Amos 5:21-27… “21 "I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. 22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. 23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. 24 But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream. 25 "Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings In the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26 You also carried Sikkuth [A pagan deity] your king [Septuagint and Vulgate text read tabernacle of Moloch] And Chiun [A pagan deity], your idols, The star of your gods, Which you made for yourselves. 27 Therefore I will send you into captivity beyond Damascus," Says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts.”

Notice, the question God asked the house of Israel in Amos 5:25, “Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years”? Then God tells Israel about their other gods they carried in the wilderness with them to worship also saying, they “also carried Sikkuth” and “Chiun…the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves” (Amos 5:26). God the Father in heaven asks this same question today of Christians who have combined their worship of Him with these man-made holidays called Easter and Christmas with their idols and hymns, something He did not command you to do.

Now, I know there are many of you who will not stop celebrating Easter or any of your other beloved so-called Christian holidays. You and the merchants of this world love these holidays for they make you feel good, and there are great profits to be made from these days. Many of you who have a need to justify your actions with the Holy Bible will comfort yourselves with the fact that the Bible speaks of Jesus’ resurrection. And the fact that the resurrection is the hope of all Christians, for the Scriptures says, God the Father of Christ Jesus “has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. Yet, none of these reasons mean we have authority to create a holiday in God’s name to worship Him with man-made traditions and idols. Then we have those so-called Bible scholars and intellectuals who will exclaim “well, the Holy Bible do not tell us not to celebrate these holidays”. For these of the type of people who have chosen to walk “willingly… by human precept” (Hosea 5:11), for they conclude since the Bible do not command them not to do it, they will do it. Let us not forget what the Holy Scriptures say concerning adding to God’s word and idolatry,

Deuteronomy 4:1-3…

·         1 "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word, which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor.

Even as the children of Israel were divinely warn by the word of God spoken to them by Moses, we as Christians today are warn against idolatry by adding to the word of God additional holidays, which God never commanded. For verse 2 clearly says, “you shall not add to the word”.

Therefore, I say to you today while it is still Day. Repent of these wrongs against the Holy Father in Heaven and His Christ, ask God for forgiveness, He is faithful and will forgive you. I call out to you with the exhortation of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus to all who are being swayed by “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Rev. 17:5), “Come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins” (Rev. 18:5). Come Lord Jesus, come. Amen. Praise God.

 

This message was given in part on WFBR 1590AM coming out of Glen Burnie / Baltimore, Maryland area. Send your comments to Evangelist Ron Davis, of the Kush Edifying Ministries.

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OR if you want to debate my conclusion of this matter or if you want to argue your own "private interpretation", then please forward your response to the below email address with your Scripture backing up what you say. Thanks, and may God bless you in understanding His Holy and righteous word.

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May God bless and continue to bless you and your household until we speak again. Amen. Praise God.