Next to Christmas, Easter is the most significant annual celebration for many Christians - in fact, there are many "CE Christians" who only attend "church" services on Christmas and Easter. (See my earlier teaching on Christmas.) Palm Sunday is held by Christians to be the day of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. For many denominational Christians, Good Friday marks the day of Jesus' crucifixion and Easter Sunday is celebrated as the day that Jesus rose from the grave. But did Easter really begin with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? NO! Was Jesus crucified on Friday? NO! What else is not scripturally true?
Jesus Christ died at the Jewish Passover, a celebration very different from denominational Easter. (See Luke, chapter 22.) The Passover, instituted at the time of the Exodus (see Exodus 12), was a prophetic symbol of Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus Christ would suffer as the silent lamb of G-d (see Isaiah 53:78). John the Baptist John recognized that Jesus was to die the death of the Passover lamb and called Jesus “the lamb of G-d.” (John 1:29) Jesus truly gave His life on Passover as the Passover lamb in fulfillment of scripture. Jesus and His Apostles and the early church all celebrated Passover. (See my teachings on Christianity's Jewish Roots and Whose Feasts are they?) While virtually the whole of denominational Christendom now views Good Friday and Easter Sunday as holy days, the one Holy day of the week that Jesus Christ set apart as Holy is almost completely unknown by most Christians. The Holy Sabbath, which Christ sanctified in Creation week, faithfully kept throughout His whole life on earth, and even observed (as He rested in the tomb from His work of salvation) in His death, is not even acknowledged by most denominational Christians. Jesus arose after Saturday's Shalom Shabbat! (Even our current calendar still has Saturday as the seventh day of the week.)
Was Jesus Crucified on Friday? I believe that Jesus was actually crucified on Wednesday - as there were two Sabbaths that Passover week. After the first one (the one that occurred on the evening of the crucifixion [Mark 15:42; Luke 23:52-54]), the women purchased spices — after the Sabbath (Mark 16:1). This first Sabbath was the Passover. The second Sabbath that would come later that week was the normal Saturday Sabbath. Note that in Luke 23:56, the women who had purchased spices after the first Sabbath returned and prepared the spices, then “rested on the Sabbath” (Luke 23:56). They could not purchase the spices after the Sabbath, and still prepare those spices before the Sabbath—unless there were two Sabbaths. Jesus Christ was crucified during the day on Wednesday, then the High Holy Sabbath (the Passover) began that evening at sundown and ended after Thursday at sundown. Then there was Friday and at sundown we start of the normal weekly Sabbath which ends Saturday evening. Purchasing the spices after the first Sabbath (Passover) would have meant they purchased them on Saturday and were breaking the Sabbath. Therefore, the only explanation that does not violate the scriptural account of the women and the spices and holds to a literal understanding of Matthew 12:40, is that Jesus Christ was crucified on Wednesday. The Sabbath that was Passover occurred on Thursday, the women purchased spices (after that Sabbath) on Friday and returned and prepared the spices on the same day, they rested on Saturday which was the weekly Sabbath, then brought the spices to the tomb early Sunday morning. (There was no mourning that morning!) Jesus was buried near sundown on Wednesday, which began Thursday in the Jewish calendar. Using a Jewish calendar, you can count: Thursday night (night one), Thursday day (day one), Friday night (night two), Friday day (day two), Saturday night (night three), Saturday day (day three). We know that Jesus had risen “while it was still dark”), so He could have risen as early as just after sunset Saturday evening, which began the first day of the week for the Jews and so He did not violate Jesus' Sabbath day of rest. Men are still looking for G-d's Ark of the Covenant - Do you want to see where it was last? Then read John 20:1-2,12 - "Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. And so she *ran and *came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.......... and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying."
Before we look at Easter - Let us look at New Year's Day. "Happy New Year!" is a very familiar greeting that will be heard over and over for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way. The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all "our" holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BCE, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible crescent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring). The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary. The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that today's drunken New Year's Eve festivities are pale in comparison. The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun. In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BCE, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BCE, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the new year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days. In the first centuries AD as the Romans continued celebrating their licentious new year, the early Catholic Church condemned these festivities as paganism. But as Catholicism became more widespread, the early church began making its own "religious observances" to run concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision. During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to allowing any member to celebrate New Years. January 1st has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years. Other Babylonian traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or to quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was first begun in Greece around 600 BCE. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth. Although the early church leaders denounced this practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced them to reevaluate their position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby but,, the baby was now to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus!
Now, what about Easter? Since hundreds of millions of denominational Christians keep it, supposedly in honor of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, then certainly the Bible must have a lot to say about it. Surely there must be numerous chapters or at least a few verses mentioning ham dinners, rabbits, eggs and egg hunts, baskets of candy, hot cross buns, Lent, Good Friday and sunrise services—not to mention the Easter celebration itself. Does the Bible even mention Easter? Yes. In Acts 12:1. King Herod began to persecute the Church, culminating in the brutal death of the apostle James (the brother of Jesus - Galatians 1:19) by sword. This pleased the Jews so much that the apostle Peter was also taken prisoner by Herod. The plan was to later deliver him to the Jews. In verse 3 it says, “Then were the days of unleavened bread.” The New Testament Church was observing the Lord's feast days described in Leviticus 23. Now read verse 4: “And when he [Herod] had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions [sixteen] of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Is this the Bible's proof of and for an Easter celebration? NO! This passage is not talking about a Christian Easter. How do we know? The word translated Easter here is from the Greek word pascha (derived from the Hebrew word pesach; there is no original Greek word for Passover, and it has only one meaning. It always means Passover—it can not and never will mean Easter! For this reason, we find a Hebrew word being used in the Greek New Testament. Once again, this Hebrew word can only refer to Passover. And other translations, including the Revised Standard Version, correctly render this word Passover. Instead of endorsing Easter, this verse really proves that the early Church was still observing the Jewish Passover ten years after the death of Jesus! Now let’s look at all the other scriptures that tell us to celebrate Easter. Whoops! There are none! There are absolutely no verses, anywhere in the Bible, that authorize or endorse the keeping of an Easter celebration! The Bible says absolutely nothing about Lent, eggs and egg hunts, baskets of candy, etc., although it may mention hot cross buns and states that sunrise services are abominations, all of which G-d condemns.
Who is the “queen of heaven”? Astarte (Easter)-worship was always associated with the worship of Baal or sun worship. Astarte was Baal’s wife. Notice that another name for Astarte was Ashtaroth. The following quote makes this point clear: “What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven…Now, the Assyrian goddess, or Astarte, is identified with Semiramis by Athenagoras (Legatio, vol. ii. p. 179), and by Lucian (De Dea Syria, vol iii. p. 382)…Now, no name could more exactly picture forth the character of Semiramis, as queen of Babylon, than the name of ‘Asht-tart,’ for that just means ‘The woman that made towers’…Ashturit, then…is obviously the same as the Hebrew "Ashtoreth’” (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, pp. 103, 307-308). Dear one, you can read from the Microsoft Encarta Multimedia Encyclopedia: “Ishtar was the Great Mother, the goddess of fertility and the queen of heaven.” So, in actuality, Ashtaroth (Ishtar) was Nimrod’s harlotrous, mother/wife widow, Semiramis, as many other ancient historians attest! Easter is now established as none other than the Ashtaroth of the Bible! What does HaShem think of her?: “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord…And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth [Easter]” (Judges 2:11, 13). HaShem allowed His people to be taken from their land into captivity as a result of this sin of serving her and Baal! G-d delivered His people over and over again through a series of judges. After each deliverance, Israel returned to the same false gods, which in turn brought another captivity, via conquest by the nations around them. They never seemed to learn, as verse 19 makes clear: “And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves…in following other gods…and…they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” In Judges 10:6, Israel repeats this pattern of stubbornness. And HaShem, just as rightfully, still calls it evil.
Among all the women who have ever lived, Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ is the most celebrated, the most venerated...Among Roman Catholics, the Madonna is recognized not only as the Mother of G-d, but also, according to modern Popes, as the Queen of the Universe, Queen of Heaven, Seat of Wisdom, and even the Spouse of the Holy Spirit." -Time Magazine, "Handmaid or Feminist?", December 30, 1991, p. 62-66. Jeremiah 7:18 says, "... the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger!" Is the Roman Catholic version of Mary really the Queen of Heaven from the Babylonian church of old that angered the Lord G-d in the book of Jeremiah? Out of all the proofs that expose the Vatican as the Pagan church Babylon, this has to be one of the most graphic. It’s almost as if they went back in time and copied this Pagan goddess exactly, so as to worship her as she desires them to. Old paintings and statues that have been found of this demonic goddess are exact duplicates of statues and paintings you will find today in Roman Catholic churches depicting Mary. Even the colors of her clothing match perfectly! In Alexander Hislop's book, "The Two Babylons", He traces the Babylonian worship of the Queen of Heaven back to the days following the death of Nimrod. As the story goes, after Nimrod's death, his wife, Semiramis, was determined to retain her power and wealth as a leader of the people. So, she came up with the idea that her husbands death was for the salvation of all mankind. Of course we know who actually schooled her in that demonic fallacy - satan. Hislop goes on to say that…"Though the death of her husband has given a rude shock to her power, yet her resolution and unbounded ambition were in nowise checked. On the contrary, her ambition took a still higher flight. In life her husband had been honored as a hero; in death she will have him worshipped as a god, yea, as the woman’s promised seed, “Zero-ashta,” who was destined to bruise the serpent's head, and in so doing, was to have his own heel bruised." The Two Babylons p. 58-59.
What do Catholics think of Mary?
- Pius IX, Ubi Primum, 1849: "For God has committed to Mary the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that THROUGH HER are obtained every hope, every grace, and ALL SALVATION. For this is his will, that we obtain everything through Mary."
- Paul VI, Christi Matri. "The Church ... been accustomed to have recourse to that most ready intercessor, her Mother Mary ... For as St. Irenaeus says, she 'has become the cause of salvation for the whole human race"
- John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, 1980, quoting Lumen Gentium, "In fact, by being assumed into heaven she has not laid aside the office of salvation but by the manifold intercession she continues to obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation."
The current Pope continues to call Mary his Queen - the Virgin Mother. Was Mary really a virgin ALL her life as Rome assumes? Or is there biblical evidence to prove otherwise? Mary truly was a virgin when she conceived Jesus - that much is true according to the Scriptures. But, what is the rest of the story?… "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his BRETHREN, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his SISTERS, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?" Matthew 13:55-56 This verse confirms people in Jesus' hometown people watched Him grow up in that city helping His father in his trade as a carpenter. They remembered Jesus lived there as well as the fact that He had four brothers. PLUS they still have Jesus' SISTERS living among them. And again: "While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his BRETHREN stood without, desiring to speak with Him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy BRETHREN stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my BRETHREN? and he stretched forth his hand TOWARD HIS DISCIPLES, and said behold my mother and my BRETHREN!" Matthew 12:46-49 And yet once more: "And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and WITH HIS BRETHREN." Acts 1:13-14
Zoroastrianism is the oldest monotheistic religion and its precursor was called Mazdaism. It originated with Iranian speaking tribes (Aryans) who dominated a vast expanse of landmass that stretched from the shores North of the Black Sea all the way to plains of Northern India, Central Asia and Western China. Around the 700 BCE the Persians (with the Egyptians and Babylonians) were one of the most advanced civilizations ever known to mankind and their influence in the Middle East and Central Asia was to last for hundreds of years. Moreover, they left a legacy of their religion and culture. Denominational Christianity has basically adopted all these doctrines from Zoroastrianism: baptism, communion - the haoma ceremony, guardian angels, the heavenly journey of the soul, worship on Sunday, the celebration of Mithras' birthday on December 25th, celibate priests that mediate between man and G-d and the Trinity. The Zoroastrians also were the first to develop religious doctrines that included the concept of the original sin, heaven and hell (paradise is a word Persian origins which means 'enclose garden'), angels and demonology, a sacrificial saviour god (messiah), resurrection, final judgment and the apocalyptic battle between good and evil - long before Jesus was born. Which of these doctrines are you following dear one?
Satan is a very cunning deceiver. He always counterfeits prophetic truths in advance so as to make his lies appear "holy". In fact, in Hislops' book on page 76 he talks about Semiramis’ continued lies that got the people to believe her son was born miraculously. After they fell for that lie, she was then referred to as the “Virgin Mother” from that day forward. Is this not a demonic twist on the prophesied virgin birth of Jesus Christ? In reality, after Nimrod died, Semiramis committed adultery and had gotten pregnant. To prevent the people from killing her for proving she was “human” by her obvious pregnancy, she lied and told them her husband Nimrod had ascended to the Sun and is now called Baal. After she convinced them of this, she then stated he appeared to her and impregnated her without touching her with the rays of his glory. She also claimed that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full. She further said that she descended from the moon in a giant moon egg (see Easter eggs below) that fell into the Euphrates River. This was supposed to have happened during the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is where the Roman Catholic church gets their calculation for their Easter. Ask any Pagan or Catholic priest when Easter arrives, and they will most assuredly tell you that after the first full moon of Spring, the following Sunday will be Easter. The Babylonian people believed all the lies of Semiramis, and she was then crowned QUEEN OF HEAVEN. She later gave birth to her son and named him Tammuz. By the way, this so called “Queen of Heaven” was also called Iishtar. In today’s world, that word is pronounced - EASTER!
Easter had its origin long before the time of Jesus Christ. The very name "Easter", shows its heathen origin. "Easter" can also be derived from Eastre, or Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of spring and dawn. The word "Easter" also can be derived from Astarte, the name of a Chaldean goddess, also called the “queen of heaven.” According to W. E. Vine in Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary, There also is some historical connection existing between the words "Easter" and "East," where the sun rises. The festival of Eostre was celebrated on the day of the Vernal Equinox (spring). Traditions associated with the festival of the Teutonic fertility goddess survive in the Easter rabbit and colored eggs. Spring is the season of new life and revival, when, from ancient times, the pagan peoples of Europe and Asia held their spring festivals, re-enacting ancient regeneration myths and performing magical and religious ceremonies to make the crops grow and prosper. From "The American Book of Days," by George William Douglas we read: "As the festival of Eostre was a celebration of the renewal of life in the spring it was easy to make it a celebration of the resurrection from the dead of Jesus. There is no doubt that the Church (of Rome) in its early days adopted the old pagan customs and gave a "Christian" meaning to them. From "Easter: its Story and Meaning," by Alan W. Watts is found: "The story of Easter is not simply a Christian story. Not only is the very name "Easter" the name of an ancient and non-Christian deity; the season itself has also, from time immemorial, been the occasion of rites and observances having to do with the mystery of death and resurrection among peoples differing widely in race and religion." From "Easter and its customs," by Christina Hole is found: "Vernal Mysteries (spring heathen rites) like those of Tammuz, and Osiris and Adonis flourished in the Mediterranean world and farther north and east there were others. Some of their rites and symbols were carried forward into Easter customs. Many of them have survived into our own day, unchanged yet subtly altered in their new surroundings to bear a "Christian" significance." The rites connected with the death and resurrection of the gods Tammuz, Osiris, and Adonis are the Forerunners of the "Christian" Easter; they are the first "Easter" services. Easter was distinct from the Christian Passover celebration that was kept by the early church. Easter was “introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity.” For the ancient pagans, Easter was a fertility celebration replete with fertility symbols: eggs, rabbits, and wheat. It was also connected to sun worship, which is why Easter celebrants often participate in Easter sun-rise celebrations. The mistranslation of Acts 12:4 is a not-so-subtle attempt to insert a pagan festival into scripture for the purpose of authorizing it.
The well-known Old Testament Passover story centers on G-d’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt through ten miraculous plagues. These included how the death angel would “pass over” all the houses where the Israelites lived. They were instructed to put blood over their doorposts to ensure that only the firstborn of Egypt would die. In this first Passover, it was only the blood of the slain lamb that protected each Israelite home. While Egypt suffered the plague of death, the Israelite firstborn were delivered by blood. By obeying God’s command and by faith in His promise to protect them, they were spared from death. The Passover account is found in Exodus 12:12-14 which clearly states that the Passover ceremony was commanded by G-d to be an annual memorial feast to be kept by Israel “forever.” (This command is repeated in Leviticus 23:5.) Exodus 12:15 introduces the seven-day festival called the Days of Unleavened Bread (also repeated in Leviticus 23:6-8), which was to immediately follow the Passover feast each year. This is why Acts 12:3 states, “Then were the days of unleavened bread,” before mentioning the Passover in the next verse. These days were always kept in conjunction with one another.
If the Passover was instituted forever, then New Testament instruction for its observance should be clear. This instruction is found in I Corinthians 5:7-8: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast (of unleavened bread, which always followed Passover, as explained above)…” Christ, as the Lamb of G-d (John 1:29; Acts 8:32; I Peter 1:19; Rev. 5:6), replaced the Old Testament lamb eaten on Passover evening each year. The New Testament symbols of the bread and wine were instituted so that Christians could eat the body and drink the blood of Christ, the true Lamb of G-d. Jesus’ sacrifice replaced the need to kill a spring lamb. Luke 22:19 shows that Jesus substituted the bread and wine to be taken annually at the Seder meal in commemoration of His sacrifice for the remission of our sins—both spiritual and physical. Early Christians kept the Passover, not Easter. Notice this from the Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edit., Vol. 8, p. 828: “There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers…The first Christians continued to observe the Jewish festivals [the Lord’s festivals of Leviticus 23], though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception added to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb…continued to be observed.” The original apostles and early New Testament Church did not observe Easter. Notice: “In the second century A.D., Easter Day was, among Christians in Asia Minor [these would be the Gentile churches that Paul raised up in places such as Philippi, Colossae, Galatia, etc.—and he warned the Galatians (4:9-10) about taking days such as Easter] the 14th of Nisan [or Abib] the seventh month of the [civil] Jewish calendar” (World Almanac, 1968 edit., p. 187). The date described here is not Easter Day, but rather the Passover—which was kept on the 14th day of the first month (Nisan) of the sacred calendar. The apostles and early Church clearly did not observe Easter!
Despite the overwhelming proof that Lord’s Holy Days, as listed in Leviticus 23, are still to be kept by Christians today (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 18:21; 20:6, 16; I Cor. 5:7-8; 16:8), almost no one who claims to believe in the G-d of the Bible keeps them today! Easter has long been known to be a pagan festival! America’s founders knew this! A children’s book about the holiday, Easter Parade: Welcome Sweet Spring Time!, by Steve Englehart, p. 4, states, “When the Puritans came to North America, they regarded the celebration of Easter—and the celebration of Christmas—with suspicion. They knew that pagans had celebrated the return of spring long before Christians celebrated Easter…for the first two hundred years of European life in North America, only a few states, mostly in the South, paid much attention to Easter.” Not until after the Civil War did Americans begin celebrating this holiday: “Easter first became an American tradition in the 1870s” (p. 5). Remarkable! The original 13 colonies of America began as a “Christian” nation, with the cry of “No king but King Jesus!” The nation did not observe Easter within an entire century of its founding.
Does the following sound familiar?—Spring is in the air! Flowers and bunnies decorate the home. Father helps the children paint beautiful designs on eggs dyed in various colors. These eggs, which will later be hidden and searched for, are placed into lovely, seasonal baskets. The wonderful aroma of the hot cross buns mother is baking in the oven waft through the house. Forty days of abstaining from special foods will finally end the next day. The whole family picks out their Sunday best to wear to the next morning’s sunrise worship service to celebrate the savior’s resurrection and the renewal of life. Everyone looks forward to a succulent ham (kosher?) with all the trimmings. It will be a thrilling day. After all, it is one of the most important religious holidays of the year. Easter, right? No! This is a description of an ancient Babylonian family—2,000 years before Jesus Christ—honoring the resurrection of their god, Tammuz, who was brought back from the underworld by his mother/wife, Ishtar (after whom the festival was named). As Ishtar was actually pronounced “Easter” in most Semitic dialects, it could be said that the event portrayed here is, in a sense, Easter. Of course, the occasion could easily have been a Phrygian family honoring Attis and Cybele, or perhaps a Phoenician family worshipping Adonis and Astarte. Also fitting the description well would be a heretic Israelite family honoring the Canaanite Baal and Ashtoreth. Or this depiction could just as easily represent any number of other immoral, pagan fertility celebrations of death and resurrection—including the modern Easter celebration as it has come to us through the Anglo-Saxon fertility rites of the goddess Eostre or Ostara. These are all the same festivals, separated only by time and culture. The name of Easter and the traditions surrounding it are deeply rooted in pagan religion.
“In Babylonia…the goddess of spring was called Ishtar. She was identified with the planet Venus, which, because…[it] rises before the Sun…or sets after it…appears to love the light [this means Venus loves the sun-god]…In Phoenecia, she became Astarte; in Greece, Eostre [related to the Greek word Eos: “dawn”], and in Germany, Ostara [this comes from the German word Sot: “east,” which is the direction of dawn]” (Englehart, p. 4). As we have seen, many names are interchangeable for the more well-known Easter. Pagans typically used many different names for the same god or goddess. Nimrod, the Bible figure who built the city of Babylon (Gen. 10:8), is an example. He was worshipped as Saturn, Vulcan, Croons, Baal, Tammuz, Moloch and others, but he was always the same god—the fire or sun god universally worshipped in nearly every ancient culture. The goddess Easter was no different. She was one goddess with many names—the goddess of fertility, worshipped in spring when all life was being renewed. The widely-known historian, Will Durant, in his famous and respected work, Story of Civilization, pp. 235, 244-245, writes, “Ishtar [Astarte to the Greeks, Ashtoreth to the Jews], interests us not only as analogue of the Egyptian Isis and prototype of the Grecian Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, but as the formal beneficiary of one of the strangest of Babylonian customs…known to us chiefly from a famous page in Herodotus: Every native woman is obliged, once in her life, to sit in the temple of Venus [Easter], and have intercourse with some stranger.” Is it any wonder that the Bible speaks of the religious system that has descended from that ancient city of Babylon as, “Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5)?
According to Johannes Casinos, who wrote in the fifth century, “Howbeit you should know, that as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken, this observance of Lent did not exist” (First Conference Abbot Thomas, chapter 30). There is neither biblical nor historical record of Jesus, his apostles or any of the early Church participating in the Lenten season. Since there is no instruction to observe Lent in the Bible, where did it come from? A forty-day abstinence period was anciently observed in honor of the pagan gods Osiris, Adonis and Tammuz (John Landseer, Sabena Researches, pp. 111, 112). Alexander Hislops', The Two Babylons, pp. 104-105, says this of the origin of Lent: “The forty days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, in the spring of the year, is still observed by the Yeminis or Pagan Devil-worshippers of Kurdistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans…Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt…” Lent came from paganism, not from the Bible!
Easter eggs have always been associated with the Easter celebration. The Easter egg takes us back to some of the oldest known civilizations on earth where the symbol of an egg played an important part in mythical accounts of the creation of the world. According to this tale heaven and earth were formed from the two halves of a mysterious World-Egg. The Easter egg is associated with this World-Egg, the original germ from which all life proceeds, and whose shell is the firmament. So there is a heathen connection between the egg and the ideas or feelings of birth, new life, and creation. Easter eggs do have a very long ancestry. In their modern chocolate or cardboard form they date only from the later years of the last century, but giving real eggs, colored or gilded at Easter and also at the pre-Christian spring celebrations are infinitely older. Long before the Christian era, eggs were regarded as symbols of continuing life and resurrection. The ancient Persians and Greeks exchanged them at their spring festivals when all things in nature revived after the winter. To the early pagans converted to "Christianity" under Emperor Constantine's rule, eggs seemed the obvious symbols of the Lord's resurrection and were therefore considered "holy" and appropriate gifts at Easter time. Pope Paul VS. appointed a prayer in which the eggs were "blessed." The eggs could then be eaten in thankfulness to G-d on account of the resurrection of the Lord. The custom of coloring eggs at Easter continued from paganism with only a change of dedication. These eggs are often red. Scarlet eggs were given in the spring by pagan peoples centuries before the birth of Christ. It is probably the favorite color because, like the egg itself, it is an emblem of life.
Nearly every culture in the modern world has a long tradition of coloring eggs in beautiful and different ways. “The origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility lore of the Indo-European races…The egg to them was a symbol of spring…In Christian times the egg had bestowed upon it a religious interpretation, becoming a symbol of the rock tomb out of which Christ emerged to the new life of His resurrection” (Francis D. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, p. 233). This is a direct example of exactly how pagan symbols and customs are “Christianized,” I.E., Christian-sounding names are superimposed over pagan customs. This is done to deceive—as well as make people feel better about why they are following a custom that is not in the Bible.
Notice: “Around the Christian observance of Easter…folk customs have collected, many of which have been handed down from the ancient ceremonial…symbolism of European and Middle Eastern pagan spring festivals…for example, eggs…have been very prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333). We can also read in the Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, James Berwick, pp. 211-212: “Eggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls attention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding from the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, hatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs were sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and Europe. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and celestial.” What could be more plain in showing the true origin of the “Easter egg”? HaShem never authorized Passover eggs or Days of Unleavened Bread eggs, but there have been Easter eggs for thousands of years before Jesus!
How about the origin of the “Easter bunny”? The hare is the true Easter beast, not the rabbit. He was sacred to the Spring-Goddess, Eostre. Hares were sacrificed to her. The hare was an emblem of fertility, renewal, and return of spring to the heathen. While their rapid rate of reproduction is well known, another problem arises with rabbits—they do not lay eggs! While both are clearly fertility symbols, there is no logical way to connect them. In a world filled with pagan tradition, truth and logic can be lost. Merging these symbols with Christianity makes an already idolatrous practice worse. There is nothing Christian about any of these symbols. The true history of these fertility symbols, rabbits and eggs, is completely unknown to all the unsuspecting children who have been led by adults to think them so special. The egg, in modern American folklore, is the production of the rabbit or the hare. The story is that this hare was once a bird whom Eostre changed into a four-footed creature. “In Germany and Austria little nests containing eggs, pastry and candy are placed in hidden spots, and the children believe that the Easter bunny, so popular in this country, too, had laid the eggs and brought the candy” (p. 235) and “The Easter bunny had its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore…The Easter bunny has never had religious symbolism bestowed on its festive usage…However, the bunny has acquired a cherished role in the celebration of Easter as the legendary producer of Easter eggs for children in many countries” (p. 236). “The Easter bunny is not a true Christian symbol” (John Brander, Symbols of Church Seasons and Days, p. 52), and “Although adopted in a number of Christian cultures, the Easter bunny has never received any specific Christian interpretation” (Misread Elide, The Encyclopedia of Religion, p. 558).“The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbol that was kept later in Europe…Its place has been taken by the Easter rabbit” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1991 ed., Vol. 4, p. 333). But knowing the truth, will not stop hundreds of millions of professing Christians from decorating their lawns and houses with Easter bunnies each spring. The entire concept that these Easter traditions are Christian is a lie foisted on innocent children who will believe that “the moon is made of cheese” just because someone tells them so. While these are shocking facts, they are true nonetheless. When the little children finally realize that there is no Easter Bunny they will then also doubt there is a Messiah.
One of the central themes of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ came to die for mankind’s sins and offer redemption to a world cut off from G-d. The master deceiver (Satan the devil, called the “god of this world” in II Cor. 4:4) seeks to destroy every aspect of G-d’s plan. He “deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). As the arch-deceiver, he would not be content to counterfeit all other aspects of Christianity but not the identity and worship of the true Savior! Who is the real “savior” central to the “Easter Sunday” tradition? Is it the Jesus Christ of the Bible? If you say “yes,” are you really sure? History answers this question plainly, with first this: “…the conception of a Saviour-god was quite normal in the ancient pagan world…a conception of salvation underlies the notion of such gods as Osiris, Attis, and Adonis…” (John M. Robertson, Christianity and Mythology, p. 395). The idea of Christ’s resurrection was injected into the old practice of Easter observance and not the other way around” (A. Nock, Early Gentile Christianity and its Hellenistic Background, pp. 105-107). The powerful theme of this oft-repeated counterfeit saviour is made most clear by the famous historian, James George Frazer: “Now the death and resurrection of Attis were officially celebrated at Rome on the 24th and 25th of March, the latter being regarded as the spring equinox, and…according to an ancient and widespread tradition Jesus suffered on the 25th of March…the tradition which placed the death of Jesus on the 25th of March…is all the more remarkable because astronomical considerations prove that it can have had no historical foundation…When we remember that the festival of St. George in April has replaced the ancient pagan festival of the Parilia; that the festival of St. John the Baptist in June has succeeded to a heathen Midsummer festival of water; that the festival of the Assumption of the Virgin in August has ousted the festival of Diana; that the feast of All Souls [following Halloween] in November is a continuation of an old heathen feast of the dead; and that the Nativity of Christ himself was assigned to the winter solstice in December because that day was deemed the Nativity of the Sun; we can hardly be thought to be rash or unreasonable in conjecturing that the other cardinal festival of the Christian church—the solemnization of Easter—came in like manner, and from like motives of edification, adapted to a similar celebration of the Phyrigian god Attis at the vernal equinox…It is a remarkable coincidence…that the Christian and the heathen festivals of the divine death and resurrection should have been solemnized at the same season…It is difficult to regard the coincidence as purely accidental” (The Golden Bough, Vol. I, pp. 306-309).
We can summarize all of the above. The Roman Catholic Church had a practice of incorporating pagan festivals—of pasting “Christian” names over them and calling them “Christian.” This was done to make “Christianity” more palatable and familiar to heathen worshippers, whom the Church was trying to attract. How did such a state of affairs develop? It can now be better understood why the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians to beware of the subtle deceit of “another Jesus whom we have not preached.” He said, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted…” (II Cor. 11:3-4). The entirety of denominational Christianity is actually worshipping Baal, the mediator and sun god, who was named after his “wife” Ishtar (who was actually his mother Semiramis)—who is the one the Bible calls the “Queen of Heaven.”
Sunrise services are mentioned in the Bible. But what HaShem says about this custom is not what you expect. Notice these astonishing verses. The prophet Ezekiel was being shown, in vision, an important prophecy concerning the sins of G-d’s people in our time. In Ezekiel 8:13-16 we read: "He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ. Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house,and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the alter, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the EAST; and they WORSHIPPED THE SUN toward the EAST." Then He said unto me, Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing…that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they…have returned to provoke Me to anger…Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.” (Ezekiel 8:13-18). HaShem so hates this vile pagan practice that He says that He will ultimately destroy all who persist in it (Ezekiel 9)!
Here Ezekiel tells us that the chosen people of G-d, Israel, had again back-slid into idolatry. Tammuz was a Babylonian god. Like Christ Mass and New Year's, Easter, too, began in Babylon. Let us look into the Mythologies of the death and resurrection gods, such as Tammuz from "Easter: its Story and Meaning." "Wife and beloved of Tammuz was the goddess Inanna, or Ishtar, in whose person is represented she whom we now call Mother Nature or Mother Earth -- she who, when refreshed with the spring rains, with the water from heaven, brings forth the fruits of life. We are told that when Tammuz died, Inanna was so stricken with grief that she followed him to the underworld, to the realm of Eresh-Kigal, Queen of the Dead, a "land from which there is no returning, a house of darkness, where dust lies on door and bolt." In her absence the earth was deprived of its fertility; crops would not grow; animals would not mate; life was in danger of coming to an end. "O my child!" at his vanishing always she lifts up a lament; "My Damu!" at his vanishing away she lifts up a lament; "My enchanter and priest!" at his vanishing away she lifts up a lament, At the shining cedar, rooted in a spacious place, In Eanna, above and below, she lifts up a lament. This ancient text is called "The Lament of the Flutes for Tammuz." He had gone away to the underworld, and this was why there was winter. "The Lament of the Flutes for Tammuz" describes the grief which moved Ea, god of water and wisdom, to send a heavenly messenger to the underworld to rescue the goddess whose absence was removing life from the earth. Assenting reluctantly to his supreme will, Eresh-Kigal allowed the messenger to sprinkle Inanna and Tammuz with water of life--a potion which gave them power to return into the light of the sun for six months of the year. But for the other six months, Tammuz must again return to the land of death, whither Inanna would again pursue him, and once more with her lamentations move Ea to give the water of life so that year after year the miracle of resurrection and spring would recur."
In the course of centuries, the story and the yearly rites connected with the death and resurrection of Tammuz moved westward to Phoenicia and Syria on the extreme east of the Mediterranean. Here the name of Tammuz was changed to Adon or Adonai, and the name of Inanna to Astarte. In Greece the two names are Adonis and Aphrodite. The myth underwent some changes in passing from Sumeria to Syria. A Greek myth tells of Demeter, like Inanna, the goddess of the earth, and her daughter, Kore (Persephone). The girl was abducted by Pluto, the ruler of the underworld, and her absence brought about a famine on earth through the failure of the crops. Pluto was therefore moved to restored Kore to her mother, but because she had eaten a pomegranate in the underworld she was bound to return to Pluto for as many months of each year as there were seeds of the pomegranate caught in her mouth. In joy at her annual return, the earth (Demeter) brings forth her fruits and flowers. Adonis (Greek god) was the child of Myrrha, the myrtle tree. (It seems that almost all the gods of death and resurrection are associated with a tree.) When the infant Adonis was born, Aphrodite was so charmed with his beauty that she adopted him and concealed him in a chest, which she gave for safekeeping to Persephone--the counterpart of Eresh-Kigal, the Babylonian Queen of the Dead. In the underworld Persephone opened the chest, and was herself so enchanted with the babe that she decided to keep him. This led to a dispute between Aphrodite and Persephone, between love and death, in which Zeus (taking the place of the Babylonian Ea) had to intervene. Zeus decreed that for four months of the year Adonis should belong to Aphrodite, for four to Persephone, and for the remaining four he should do as he wished--Adonis chose to spend them with Aphrodite. When he had grown to young manhood, Adonis roused the envy of Artemis, the forest goddess of the hunt, or according to another account, or Ares, the god of war. Thus, while he was out hunting, Artemis slew Adonis with an arrow--the arrows of Artemis being the cause to which sudden death was generally ascribed--or in the version, he was gored by Ares in the form of a wild boar. He died, and where the earth had received his blood, Aphrodite sprinkled the ground with nectar, so that the blood turned into anemones and other flowers of the field. But the grief of Aphrodite was so piteous that the gods of the underworld allowed Adonis to return to her every spring for six months of the year.
In Asia Minor the Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the winter solstice and they performed ceremonies with music and dancing at the spring equinox to awaken him. Of the same essential pattern is the great Egyptian myth of Osiris. The common elements in all these stories are so apparent that one may think of them as a single drama performed again and again by different actors. It would be tedious to describe in detail all that has been handed down to us about the various rites of Tammuz, Adonis, Kire, and many others. Their rites had many basic elements in common. Their universal theme--the drama of death and resurrection--makes them the forerunners of the "Christian" Easter, and thus the first Easter services. Many of the customs and ceremonies of the "Christian" Easter resemble these former rites, for instance, the present day "Sun Rise Services." Easter descended from pagan sun worship. Catholic Doctrine simply paralleled the pagan death and resurrection myths of the gods with the story of Christ's crucifixion and Ascension. Jesus Christ now rises from the dead with the ascending sun at the time of the Vernal Equinox when plant life and all forms of vegetation appear again on the Earth, and is celebrated with the same customs as that of the earlier Heathen rites!
The entire context of these verses helps us understand the heightening condemnation toward which G-d builds in His conclusion: “…Turn you yet again, and you shall see greater abominations that they do…and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz…And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. It is no “light thing” to G-d that many millions do this every Easter! It may seem “beautiful,” “religious,” and “deeply moving” to those participating in it, but G-d has forbidden His true people to devise their own religious customs and ideas. He is not interested in what people may personally feel or think is right. He is interested in those who care about what He thinks! As far as HaShem is concerned, ancient sun worship, dressed up in Easter finery and bonnets, is just modern packaging of a very old, idolatrous pagan custom.
Consider G-d’s own words in Deuteronomy 12:28-32: “Observe and obey all these words which I command you…When…you…dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them…and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your G-d in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods…Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” HaShem clearly tells Christians to never mix what is godly with what is pagan—or the true with the false! Do not let denominational "leaders" tell you that what G-d says makes no difference. It does!
Eating hot-cross buns is one of the Good Friday customs that has taken root in America. They are pagan in origin, for the Anglo-Saxon savages consumed cakes as part of the jollity that attended the welcoming of spring. Early missionaries from Rome despaired of breaking them of the habit, so they simply got around the difficulty by blessing the cakes and drew a cross upon them. but the cross was a pagan symbol long before Jesus' crucifixion. Bread and cakes were sometimes marked with it in pre-Christian times. Two small loaves each with a cross on them were discovered under the ruins of Herculaneum, a city overwhelmed by volcanic ash in A.D. 79. It is probable that the crosses here had a pagan meaning like those which appeared on cakes associated with the worship of Diana. In Jeremiah 7:18: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” The cakes offered to the queen of heaven were these same hot cross buns that millions of children sing about today (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p. 107). What seems so innocent is not innocent at all. Baal and Ashtaroth worship reappeared during Samuel’s time. Samuel told Israel, “…put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only…Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only” (I Samuel 7:3-4). Later, in I Samuel 12:10-11, Samuel publicly recounted Israel’s history to them. He reminded them that they continually returned to obeying G-d, only to fall backwards into idolatry again and again! “Those who do not learn the lesson of history are doomed to repeat it.”
The Bible states that King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. Yet, he made a mistake that HaShem considered so great that, after his death, He punished Solomon by removing the kingdom from his son. What did he do to provoke HaShem? He married a woman who led him into the worship of Easter (Ashtaroth). Notice I Kings 11:4-6: “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods…For Solomon went after Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians…And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.” Verses 11-12 demonstrate that the kingdom was taken from his son.
There are two completely different churches pictured in the New Testament. One, the true Church which is described as the bride of Christ, loving one another, forsaking involvements with this world and its pagan customs in order to be pure when He comes for her. The second and the largest "man-made doctrinal church" are all the denominational "churches" that make up Babylon and her harlot daughters. Remember dear one, that throughout the New Testament, it was prophesied that false teachers, christs and prophets would creep in to deceive and gain control of His church. True Christians were told in the Revelation that they would have to flee from all seven churches to be the one him " to him (not them) that Overcomeath". And we will also have to flee from Babylon and any denominational congregations that refuse to obey G-d. The true church will always be a “little flock,” often scattered, never having any real political power in this world. The world has kept little track of this small, scattered, persecuted Church that meets in homes and small groups, but Jesus Christ promised that He would never leave or forsake it and that “the gates of hell [the grave] shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Though it has periodically had to flee for its life (Acts 8:1; Dan. 12:7), Jesus Christ has faithfully kept His promise to remain with it, empowering, teaching and strengthening it through His Holy Spirit. Despite continual persecution—even during periods of great martyrdom by the large denominational churches who have always sought to destroy the truth and those who would keep the truth—a remnant has always remained faithful to hear only Him throughout the last nearly 2,000 years and these have indeed continued to “keep the commandments of G-d, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
G-d has always commanded His true Church not to observe pagan festivals! The true Church has always been willing to obey Him. Paul warned the Thessalonian congregation, “…the mystery of iniquity does already work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). This mystery was already having an awful influence within the true Church just twenty years after Christ established it in 31 A.D. It was the very Chaldean Mystery, embodied in Christmas and Easter—its two greatest pagan festivals! Invariably, the arrival of these false pagan celebrations required true Christians to flee. (See my teaching on Many Antichrists.) The second "church" is portrayed as a harlotrous queen (like Semiramis/Easter) riding a beast with seven heads (Rev. 17). These heads represent the historic revivals of the Holy Roman Empire. This whorish woman symbolizes a powerful, politically organized denominational church. Gradually, this church, centered at Rome, adopted more and more pagan doctrines and practices until the only discernible difference between it and pagan religion was its use of the name of Jesus Christ. This is how Easter came to be celebrated in place of the true Christian Passover. This “mother church” has many “daughter denominations,” and the entire system masquerades under the banner of “Christianity,” when they are really the “Babylon Mystery Religion.” The Bible pictures her as a universal deceiver with all “Christian” countries made drunk with her false doctrines! She is pictured as being made drunk with the blood of the saints, while, at the same time, bragging that she is the true church. All of her daughters have adopted her pagan practices.
What does history say about how and when the idolatrous pagan festival of Easter came to replace the Passover service ordained by G-d? A series of extensive quotes tell this story—commonly referred to as the “Quartodeciman Controversy.” Several sources are quoted so that the story of how the counterfeit Easter came to replace Passover will be perfectly clear. This problem—Passover versus Easter—became so pivotal, as a test of the power of the great church that wished to stamp out the “little flock,” that eventually disobedience brought the death sentence upon any who continued to keep either the Lord’s Sabbath or His true festivals. First notice the following by Eusebius (a well-known historian of the early Church) from his work, Ecclesiastical History, Book VS., chapters XXIII and XXIV: “A question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour’s Passover…the bishops of Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed down to them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and the church of Rome, set forth in the following words the tradition which had come down to him: “We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the Lord’s coming, when he shall come with glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these are Philip, one of the twelve apostles…and, moreover, John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord…and Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, bishop and martyr from Eumenia…the bishop and martyr Sagaris…the blessed Papirius, or Melito…All these observed the fourteenth day of the Passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but following the rule of faith.” The 1967 New Catholic Encyclopedia states, “Quartodeciman, a term used to describe the practice in the early Church of celebrating Easter on the 14th of Nisan (die quarta decima), the day of the Jewish Passover (Ex. 12:6). Quartodecimanism, prevalent in Asia Minor and Syria in the 2nd century, emphasized the death of Christ, the true Paschal victim (John. 18:28; 19:42), while Roman practice emphasized the observance of Sunday as the day of the Resurrection. Implicit in these two positions is the disputed chronology of Holy Week. As Christianity separated from Judaism, gentile Christians objected to observing the principal Christian feasts on the same day as the Jewish Passover.“Roman efforts to induce the Quartodecimans to abandon their practice were unsuccessful. On a visit to Rome (c. 155), St. Polycarp of Smyrna amicably discussed the question with Pope Anicetus without, however, reaching agreement. Pope Victor (189-198) sought unity through a series of synods held in both East and West; all accepted the Roman practice except the Asiatic bishops. When Victor attempted coercion by excommunication, St. Irenaeus of Lyons intervened to restore peace (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 5.23-25). During the 3rd century Quartodecimanism waned; it persisted in some Asiatic communities down to the 5th century” (Vol. 12, p. 13).
“Polycarp, the disciple of John the Evangelist (last of the 12 apostles), and bishop of Smyrna, visited Rome in 159 (sic) to confer with Anicetus, the bishop of that see, on the subject, and urged the tradition which he had received from the apostles of observing the 14th day. Anicetus, however, declined. About forty years later (197), the question was discussed in a very different spirit between Victor, bishop of Rome, and Polycrates, metropolitan of proconsular Asia. That province [embracing churches founded through the apostle Paul, like Antioch and all of those identified in Revelation 2 and 3 as the true Church] was the only portion of Christendom which still adhered to the Jewish usage. Victor demanded that all should adopt the usage prevailing at Rome. This Polycrates firmly refused to agree to, and urged many weighty reasons to the contrary, whereupon Victor proceeded to excommunicate Polycrates and the Christians who continued the [correct] Eastern usage. He was, however, restrained (by counsel from other bishops) from actually proceeding to enforce the decree of excommunication…and the Asiatic churches retained their usage unmolested. We find the Jewish usage (the true New Testament Passover) from time to time reasserting itself after this, but it never prevailed to any large extent. “A final settlement of the dispute was one among the other reasons which led Constantine [Roman Emperor] to summon the council at Nicaea in 325. At that time the Syrians and Antiochenes were the solitary champions of the observance of the 14th day. The decision of the council was unanimous that Easter was to be kept on Sunday, and on the same Sunday throughout the world, and that none hereafter should follow the blindness of the Jews. [Or, in other words, no one was allowed to follow the example of Christ and the true Church He founded!]…The FEW who afterwards separated themselves from the unity of the [politically organized] church, and continued to keep the 14th day, were named Quartodecimani [from the Latin word for 14], and the dispute itself is known as the Quartodeciman controversy” (Vol. VIII, pp. 828-829). This is a very powerful quote making absolutely plain the full story of what happened and how it happened. History records that Polycarp was martyred on the way back from Rome (burned to death in a farmhouse), just days after his meeting with Anicetus over the issue of keeping Passover or Easter. He was almost certainly killed because he would not compromise regarding the proper keeping of the Lord's Passover.
The 1967 New Catholic Encyclopedia states this: “Occasionally, the Quartodecimans celebrated Easter on the day that other Christians were observing Good Friday. Originally both observances were allowed, but gradually it was felt incongruous that Christians should celebrate Easter on a Jewish feast, and unity in celebrating the principal Christian feast was called for” (Vol. 5, p. 8). Now read this quote from the same source, concluding the matter of how the Council of Nicea “decided,” once and for all, the matter of Easter versus Passover: “As for Easter, the Fathers decreed (1) that all Christians should observe it on the same day, (2) that Jewish customs should not be followed, and (3) that the practice of the West, of Egypt, and of other Churches should remain in force, namely, of celebrating Easter on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox” (Vol. 5, p. 433). (That date always will change and therefore is very confusing.) The 1909 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia says, “After the Pope’s strong measures the Quarterdecimans seemed to have gradually dwindled away. Origen in the “Philosophumena” (VIII, xviii) seems to regard them as a mere handful of wrong-headed nonconformists. SECOND PHASE—The second stage of the Easter controversy centers around the Council of Nicaea [A.D. 325] granting that the great Easter festival was always to be held on a Sunday, and was not to be coincident with a particular phase of the moon, which might occur on any day of the week” (Vol. 5, p. 228). The truth is that the Passover was always tied directly to the moon, regardless of the day of the week on which it fell! (The word month is derived from moon.) The 14th day of Nisan (Abib) was G-d’s instruction (Exodus 12:1-6)—not the nearest Sunday to this or any other date.
This same edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia, when describing the final decision at Nicaea in A.D. 325, quotes the words of the Emperor Constantine, writing to all the churches: “At this meeting the question concerning the most holy day of Easter was discussed, and it was resolved by the united judgment of all present that this feast ought to be kept by all and in every place on one and the same day…And first of all it appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their hands with enormous sin…for we have received from our Saviour a different way [this is false because Christ did not ever instruct “a different way”]…And I myself have undertaken that this decision should meet with the approval of your Sagacities in the hope that your Wisdoms will gladly admit that practice which is observed at once in the city of Rome and in Africa, throughout Italy and in Egypt…with entire unity of judgment.” (Vol. 5, p. 228). Finally, this same source continues a few paragraphs later with, “The final decision always lay with accepted ecclesiastical authority…was primarily a matter of ecclesiastical discipline and not astronomical science” (p. 229). These two short phrases make it clear that church authority at Rome, and not G-d’s Word, determined whether Easter or the Passover would be kept. Only the “few” remained faithful to the truth—and it has always been this way. Eventually, as the false pagan church grew in political influence, the death penalty was imposed on anyone found keeping G-d’s seventh-day Sabbath or His other Festivals, such as the Passover. True Christians have always had to flee to wherever they could continue keeping G-d’s commandments and truths.
Constantine's Terrible Influence on Christianity
Constantine's reign as Roman emperor (A.D. 306-337) dramatically changed the direction of Christianity. This grew out of his strategy for unifying his empire by creating a "catholic"—meaning universal —church that would blend elements from many religions into one. The "Christianity" Constantine endorsed was different from that practiced by Jesus Christ and the apostles. The emperor accelerated the change by his own hatred of Jews. Constantine himself said, "Let us then have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd." -(Eusebius, Life of Constantine 3, 18-19, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1979, second series, Vol. 1, pp. 524-525). For example, at the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325), church authorities essentially replaced the Biblical Passover with Easter, a popular holiday rooted in ancient springtime fertility celebrations. British historian Paul Johnson summarizes how Constantine's approach of merging religious practices produced a corrupted Christianity that meshed paganism with biblical elements. When we consider the vast differences between the mainstream Christianity of today and the original Christianity of Jesus Christ and the apostles, we can trace much of that change to Constantine and the cathloic religious system he put into power.
"Constantine corrupted and perverted Christianity more than he aided it. He was an ambitious and superstitious Emperor who murdered his own kindred (his wife and son) while promoting Christianity. He paganized Christianity while using it as a political tool to solidify his Empire." "From the time of Constantine onward, the worship of the Roman Catholic Church, in its forms and ceremonies, has been more clearly identified with the paganism of Ancient Rome, than with the religion of the New Testament. The customs of pagan religion were only baptized with Christian names." "The opening of the Fourth Century marks a new era in the process by which paganism poisoned Christianity. Constantine turned Christianity into a piece of political machinery." -Paganism Surviving in Christianity By Abram Herbert Lewis "The Control of Christianity by the State Under Constantine and his Successors"
"Soon after the so-called conversion of Constantine...the Church entered on its Apostasy from the primitive simplicity and purity which marked its earlier history. Pagans in vast multitudes pressed into the Christian Fold, bringing with them old practices and customs, and filling the places of Christian worship with the pageantry and ornaments which characterized the worship of the gods in heathen temples. These unconverted millions became only nominally Christian, impressing the doctrines, rites, and forms of pagan religion upon the Christian Church."
-The Old Catholic Church by W.D. Killen D.D.; pp.70-72 Edinburgh; 1871
"Constantine had no respect for human life, and as emperor he executed his eldest son, his own second wife, his favorite sister's husband and 'many others' on doubtful charges. He was also responsible for wholesale massacres in north Africa." - History of Christianity Johnson; (p.68)
"Constantine had a father-in-law, whom he commanded to be hung; he had a brother-in-law, whom he ordered to be strangled; he had a nephew twelve or thirteen years old, whose throat he ordered to be cut; he had an eldest son, whom he beheaded; he had a wife, whom he ordered to be suffocated in a bath." -Voltaire Philosophical Dictionary, article "Constantine".
These atrocious crimes were perpetrated after Constantine declared himself to be a Christian. This is the man who became leader of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. This is the man who "legalized" Christianity in the Roman Empire. This is the leader who voted for and established many of the doctrines taught in the denominational churches today. Constantine presided at Church councils and supposedly worshipped the divinity of Christ, as a doctrine that was decided upon by the councils of Nicea that were political efforts to cement the pagans with the last vestiges of believing Christians. It cannot be doubted that the character of Constantine deteriorated rather than improved under the influence of his form of Christianity. "Constantine never actually accepted Christianity...Constantine never totally abandoned Paganism...and was known to continue to worship pagan gods. Even after his conversion, Constantine was well known for his brutality." -Constantine - The Making of a Saint by Andras Nagy
"Christians claim to follow the teachings of the one they call Jesus Christ, but their traditions today are radically different than the original teachings of that man. The process of the development of Christianity is a long and complicated one, but there are a number of key influential figures who played a crucial role in it. While most are familiar with the names of the 12 apostles, they are usually unfamiliar with the one who claimed to be the 13th, Constantine the Great, the first Holy Roman Emperor." "It was Constantine who changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, despite the fact that Jesus, and all of the apostles strictly observed the Sabbath on Saturday. His decision was influenced by the fact that Sun-Day was the Roman day of worship of the Sun-God, Apollo." "Constantine decided that G-d was three-in-one based on the theologians Tertullian, Cyprian, and Augustine. Constantine convened the council of Nicaea in 325, in which the Creed outlined his version of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. It is unfortunate that the relationship of Constantine and his own son could not be so close, as while he was in the West he had his eldest son and friend, Crispus, and his wife, Fausta, executed for reasons that remained a mystery. All other forms of Christianity that did not comply to this Creed, were labeled as heretics and were to be eliminated. To this day, Constantine’s Nicean Creed is used as the basis for determining who is a Christian, which is why Jehovah’s Witnesses, are still labeled as heretics today." "The effects of pagan influences on Christian traditions can most clearly be seen in its’ celebrations, for every single one has a pagan celebration as its origin. One festivity that was personally initiated by Constantine was All Saint’s Day, quite appropriate as the mythology of pagan traditions were transferred to the stories of the Saints." "Between Constantine and cohorts, the entire foundation of modern Christianity was developed. Yet perhaps we should ponder if it would have been better for Yeshua’s (Jesus') teachings to have disappeared than to have them so utterly corrupted and perpetuated as his own." -The Thirteenth Disciple Constantine and The Trinity by Nozrem ha Brit
HaShem never instructed, but rather actually commanded against, keeping Easter. It has always been His purpose that the Passover should be kept once a year—forever. The New Testament Passover also includes an ordinance of humility called the foot washing. This instruction is found in John 13:2-15 and was commanded by Christ to be taught to all who would learn G-d’s doctrines. Christ commanded His disciples, “Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). This instruction includes the Passover, with the foot washing and the symbols of the bread and wine. It also includes keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread and the rest of the Lord’s annual feast days. What Will You Do?
Can Easter be kept “in honor of Christ”? Some may say, “Okay, I know Easter comes from paganism—but I’m not pagan! I celebrate it in honor of Jesus Christ. I focus on Him.” Because G-d knew that Israel would feel this way when they encountered the religious customs of pagan nations, and would try to use false customs to honor the true G-d, He gave the specific instruction in Deuteronomy 12:28-32. HaShem always commanded that people worship Him exactly as He instructed! So did Jesus Christ. Does HaShem ever change? Did Jesus tell His followers to mark His death and resurrection with Easter celebrations? Is it possible that the Son of G-d might have changed His mind about pagan celebrations? The Bible is clear on this point. G-d does not change: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.) “I am the Lord, I change not.” (Malachi 3:6)
The "law-giver" Moses is the man whom G-d used to bring the Israelites out of their captivity from Egypt - led them to freedom through the sea and should have led them through the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. But suddenly and dramatically that hope was destroyed. HaShem clearly instructed Moses to strike the rock once but, Moses struck it twice and is immediately disqualified from leading the Israelites any further. Scholars old and new have wrestled with why G-d did this and the passage of time has done little to help religious "leaders" from understanding why Moses struck out! Rambam called this matter one of the most difficult problems in the Torah. The Rock was Jesus and if Moses had only struck it once only Jesus the head would have had to die but now the body of Jesus must also die. When G-d tells you to do something - do it exactly the way He said! When an honest man is confronted with the truth - he will either accept the truth or cease to be honest!
Jesus told the Pharisees, “Thus have you made the commandment of G-d of none effect by your tradition…in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:6, 9). Mark’s parallel account adds an important element: “Full well you reject the commandment of G-d, that you may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). These verses have clear application to those who reject the Passover that they may keep pagan Easter. Hundreds of millions keep the rank idolatrous pagan feast known as Easter, believing themselves to be honoring Jesus Christ! Most are in complete ignorance of what they are doing. G-d’s answer to all is “…the times of this ignorance G-d winked at; but now commands all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30)! Dear one, please let us humbly and obediently observe the Lord's sacred ordinance [Passover] as we are commanded, at the scriptural time, after sunset, the 14th of Abib [Nisan] according to the Sacred Calendar.”
Dear One, it is very obvious that we are now totally inundated with demonic lies, Babylonian (confusing) doctrines and false beLIEfs - how can you personally tell what is Holy, true, real and/or what HaShem/Jesus really wants from you?
The only thing that can not be easily counterfeited by satan and religious "leaders" is G-d's Holy Spirit. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that confusion and deception would be very great in the end times. In verse 24:24 we read: "For there shall arise false christs (see my many antichrists teaching) and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." In John 10:27-29 we read: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." And in 1 John 2:27 we read: "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." You have to ask Jesus to open your ears and to give you that anointing that will teach you the truth dear one! Shalom!
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