Easter in the Bible

7/30/2019 Easter in the Bible

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EASTER IN THE BIBLE?What does the Bible say about "Easter"?Acts 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put [him] in prison, and delivered

[him] to four quaternion of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring

him forth to the people.This is the only verse in the King James Version where "Easter" is mentioned, but

as any Greek authority will tell you, this is a mistranslation. The original Greek

word is "pascha" which means "Passover". All other places in the New Testament

where "pascha" is used the correct translation "Passover" is given (eg Matthew26:2, 1719; Mark 14:12 and I Corinthians 5:7). Most other translations of the Bible

correctly renders the word in Acts 12:4 as "Passover".According to the Encyclopedia Britannica....

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 [that is, God's festivals Leviticus

23:12], though in a new spirit, as commemoration of events which those festivals

had foreshadowed" ("Easter", 11th edition) .....

Another reason why "Easter Sunday" could not have been celebrated by the early

Christians is that Jesus Christ was not resurrected on a Sunday morning!!

HOW LONG WAS JESUS IN THE GRAVE?Now let's see as Bereans what Jesus said about the length of time He would spend

in the grave....

Matt: 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous

generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the signof the prophet Jonas:

Matt:: 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so

shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mar: 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many


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things, and be rejected of the elders, and [of] the chief priests, and scribes, and

be killed, and after three days rise again.He certainly fulfilled this sign "as He said"....

Matt: 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place wherethe Lord lay.The only sign Jesus gave that He was the true Messiah was the length of time He

would spend in the grave a period of three days AND three nights 72 hours!!

The Easter tradition Jesus crucified on Friday afternoon and rose from the dead

Sunday morning gives only about a day and a half, that is, 36 hours!

Since Jesus Christ did fulfil His sign, the Easter tradition is just that a tradition

that is not factual!! The Bible prooves that Jesus Christ was crucified then buried

on a Wednesday afternoon and He rose from the dead 72 hours later lateSaturday afternoon. Furthermore, many of the customs and traditions surrounding

Easter originated long before the time of Christ some over 2000 years BEFORE

the beginning of the Christian era.

The word "Easter" is actually derived from the name of the ancient Assyrian

goddess "Ishtar" pronounced by the Assyrians the same as "Easter". The

traditions of Easter such as colored eggs, the Easter bunny and sunrise services

originated BEFORE Christianity and are in fact pagan!

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE

The Old Testament refers to a similar service more than 500 years before the

birth of Christ....

Ezek: 8:16 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.(God certainly did not approve of this practice....)

Ezek: 8:15 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.

Eze: 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? Is it a light

thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit


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here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me

to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose......It was an ancient heathen practice to gather before dawn and worship the rising

sun. These services were being observed by the nation of Judah in Ezekiel's day.They had borrowed some of the heathen customs in spite of God's commandments

not to follow pagan practices in worshipping Him.

Many Christians acknowledge that Christmas and Easter did originate in paganism

but they claim that they now observe these days to "honor Christ" or "glorify God".USING PAGANISM TO WORSHIP GODGod had something to say about using pagan practices to worship Him....

Deut: 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee,

whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest intheir land;

Deut: 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after

that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their

gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

Deut: 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to

the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons

and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Jer: 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not

dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at themGod clearly commands us not to adopt the practices of pagan nations. God does not

accept such forms of worship even though they are intended to honor Him. God is

not honored through disobedience.

WORSHIPPING JESUS IN VAIN

Jesus Christ said it was possible to worship Him in vain....

Matt: 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the

commandments of men.Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about using human traditions on how to worship God....

Mark: 7:7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the

commandments of men.


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Mark: 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,

[as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Mark: 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, thatye may keep your own tradition.God does not want people to honor Christ by following the traditions and customs

of men.The following is a quote from the Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 11; page 390:"During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and

ultimately led to what has been called a 'solar monotheism.' Nearly all the gods ofthe period were possessed of Solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired

the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol Invictus (unconquered Sun) on

December 25th was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was takenover by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ."Easter, Halloween and Valentines Day also had their birth and origin in utter

paganism. How can Christians justify telling their innocent little children these

satanic lies? The Ten Commandments teach us it is wrong to lie. The Scriptures tell

us that........."no liars shall inherit the Kingdom of God " (Rev. 22:15).Yet, millions of professing Christians will fill their children with falsehoods about

Santa Claus, flying reindeer, and an Easter bunny that lays eggs. IS THERE

SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????? Nowhere does the Bible

instruct us to observe these days, nor to lie to our children. However, it does teach

us to repent of such practices, and to remove ourselves from anything that has itsroots in the worship of the devil. God will forgive one who turns to Him. Most

professing Christians find it difficult to accept these truths because the

observance of the holidays gives them a warm and fuzzy feeling. They simply can

not understand that the worship of God is not based upon feelings, but on truth. It

is always important to remember that we are to worship God in "spirit and truth"not lies (John 4:24). We must also remember that Satan's ministers are also

transformed into ministers of light, as shown in 2 Corinthians 11:1415.....Jesus Christ came to "destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). He did not

come to incorporate them into the worship of His Holy Father. The lies of the devil


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brought division within the Kingdom of God and caused one third of the angels to

rebel. It was his lies that deceived Adam and Eve and caused the death of all

mankind and Jesus Christ, our Savior. Our Heavenly Father hates the works ofSatan, and so should we. God Almighty is a jealous God:"For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a

jealous God" (Exodus 34:14).He will not share the worship of Himself and His Son Jesus, with anyone or

anything else. To incorporate pagan teachings into the worship of God would be the

same as asking God to share His throne with the works of the devil. That is

impossible for God to entertain.Ezekiel 8: 1418 ~

"Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was towardthe north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." (Tammuz=Nimrod,

the sun god)"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 altar, were about five

and twenty men, with their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun

toward the east.Then he said to me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the

house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for

they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger;

and lo, they put the branch to their nose. 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."(This is the only place in the Bible where men are described as observing a sun rise

worship service. As millions do every Easter Sunday morning as the sun rises in

their worship service.The pagans turned their backs on God's temple, faced the

sun at its rising and worshiped the mythical sun god and the goddess of spring,

"Easter".)Jer. 7:1819

"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead


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their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings

unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord: do they not provoke themselves tothe confusion of their own faces?"(These cakes are still baked today at Easter and called hot cross buns. The cross

or X is an ancient symbol for the solar wheel and is the symbol of the sun and the

'queen of heaven' or Semiramus, the motherwife of Nimrod. Some feel that these

hot cross buns are Satan's counterfeit for unleavened bread.)Ex: 12:24

"And ye shall observe this thing for as ordinance to thee and thy sons forever."

(Passover is forever)(Jesus, early apostles and converted Gentile Christians observed the holy daysmentioned in Lev.23 and

Acts 2:1, and 18:21, and 20:6 &16,and 1Cor 5: 78, and 16:8.) ~from The American Book of Days by Douglas article Easter

"The name of a feast, according to the Venerable Bede, comes from Eostre, A

Teutonic goddess whose festival was celebrated in the spring. The name was given

to the Christian festival in celebration of the resurrected Eostre, it was who,

according to the legend, opened portals of Valhalla to recieve Baldur, called the

white god because of his purity and also the sun god because his brow suppliedlight to mankind. It was Baldur who, after he had been murdered by Utgard Loki,

the enemy of goodness and truth, spent half the year in Valhalla and the other half

with the pale goddess of the lower regions.

There is no doubt that the church in its early days adopted the old pagan customs

and gave a Christian meaning to them.

The egg, as a symbol of New Life is much older than Christianity and the coloring

of it at the spring festival is also of very ancient origin. The Egyptians, the

Persians, the Greeks and the Romans used it this way. Eggs were eaten during the

spring festival from very early times. Children are told that the rabbit lays theEaster eggs in a garden for the children to find. This is an adaption of the pagan

custom of regarding the rabbit as an emblem of fertility, that is, of new life."(What most people don't know.

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary shows that the word Easter comes from the name

of an old Teutonic goddess of spring.)


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Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend p 341

"Early in history the egg became a symbol for sex, reproduction and life. The egg

represented a resurrection and after life and was used to cast magical spells'(Long before Jesus was born eggs were used in religious worship)A Treasury of American Superstition page 361

"The hare represented abundant life and the fertility of the earth... Because hares

were born with eyes open, they were sacred to the 'open eyed moon' in Egypt, and

thus connected with Easter, as the date is set by the moon's orbit to this day. The

Germans made the hare sacred to the goddess Eastre, and said that on Easter Eve

it would lay eggs for good children."(As you can see the early Christians saw in these pagan rituals symbols of Christ's

resurrection to new life. So obviously they 'borrowed' some of the heathen

customs. Even tho' God commands his people NOT to follow the ways of theheathen, and NOT to use pagan customs to worship Him!)Alexander Hislop's The Two Babylons p. 105

"Among the pagans the Lent season seems to have been as indispensible preliminary

to the great annusl festival in commeration on the death and rresurrection of

Tammuz, which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing."(It was believed

that the pagan god Tammuz died and was resurrected. He was a counterfeit

Messiah. The mourning of his death was held annually a kind of Lenton season.

Obviously, this pagan god has influenced present day religious practices.There are no instructiions in the Bible for Christians to observe a period of Lent.

Nor is there any Biblical authority for the practice of attending Easter sunrise

services either. Just the opposite Ezek 8 :1316.)

The Two Babylons by Hislop p 140105

"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 Yezidis or pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who have

inherited it from thier 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..."Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition Easter

"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New


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Testament or in the writings of the Apostolic fathers...The first Christians

continued to observe the Jewish festivals, though in a new spirit, as

commemorations of events which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus thePassover, with a new conception added to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb and

the first fruits from the dead continued to be observed.Although the observance of Easter was at a very early period in the practice of

the Christian Church, a serious difference as to the day for its observance soon

arose between the Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which led to

a long and bitter controversy. With the Jewish Christians...the fast ended on the

14th day of the moon at evening without regard to the day of the week. The

Gentile Christians on the other hand identified the first day of the week with the

resurrection, and kept the preceeding Friday as the commeration of the

crucifixion, irrespective of the day of the month.

Generally speaking, the Western Churches [catholic] kept Easter on the first dayof the week, while the Eastern Churches followed the Jewish rule.

Polycarp, the disciple of John the Evangelist, and bishop of Smyrna, visited Rome in

159 to confer with Anicetus, the bishop of the see, on the subject, and urged the

tradition which he had recieved from the apostles of observing the 14th

day.Anicetus, however, declined. About 40 years later,(197), the question was

discussed in a very different spirit between Victor, bishop of Rome, and Polycarp,

metropolitan of proconsular Asia [the territory of the Churches at Ephesus,

Galatia, Antioch, Philadelphia and all those mentioned in Rev 2 & 3 the churches

established through Apostle Paul]. That province was the only portion ofChristendom which still adhered to the Jewish usuage prevailing at Rome.This

Polycrates firmly refused to agree to, and urged many weighty reasons to the

contrary, where upon Victor proceeded to excommunicate Polycrates and the

Christians who continued the Eastern usuage. He was, however, restrained from

actually proceeding to enforce the decree of excommunication...and the Asiatic

churches retained their usuage unmolested. We find the Jewish ususge 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 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. Thedecision 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.'

...(the few who afterwards separated themselves from the unity of the church


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[Roman Catholic}, and continued to keep the 14th day, were named 'Quarto

decimani' and the dispute itself is known as the 'Quarto deciman controversy.")A Treasury of American Superstition p. 362

"To imitate Nature's emergence in her own gorgeous attire of delicate green, inancient times, when Easter was New Year's Day, people cast off their old clothes

to start the New Year right. Therefore the custom of wearing a new outfit on

Easter is a holdover from this time. The custom of wearing new clothes prevailed

also in Northern Europe as it was considered discourteous and therefore bad luck

to greet the Scandinavian goddess of spring, or Easter, in anything but a fresh

garb, since the goddess was bestowing one on the earth. Needless to say, the

Easter parade on Fifth avenue, New York, is the most famous survival of this old

custom. There is an old superstition that wearing three new things on Easter

assures good luck throughout the year. It is interesting also, that in early times,

the Easter 'Bonnet' was a wreath of flowers or leaves. The circle or crown

expressed the round sun and its course in the heavens which brought the return of

spring."

Encyclopedia BritannicaEasterpopular customs

"Around the Christian observance of Easter as the climax of the Liturgical Drama

of holy week and good Friday folk customs have collected, many of which have been

handed down from the ancient ceremonial and symbolism of the pagan springfestival brought into relation with the resurrection theme. When the medieval

miracle plays of Northern and Central Europe came to an end in the 6th century,

under the pressure of the reformation, the way was open for the gradual revival of

the calendar customs and folk drama, in spite of puritan opposition of revels, acting

and dancing. Thus the liturgical portrayal of the death and resurrection of Christ

enacted in the ecclesiastical Easter plays gradually found its secular counterpart in

the popular survivals of the ancient seasonal ritual connected with the spring

equinox.

These took a variety of forms which Easter eggs, formerly forbidden to be eatenduring Lent have been very prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection. In

Lancashire on Easter eve boys and men have been in the habit of touring the town

and village as 'pace eggers'. Begging for eggs before performing the 'pace egging'

or pasch (Easter) play. This was the Easter version of the St George mummer's

play. This death and resurrection theme recurs in the sword dances which werealso of frequent occurance among the traditional ritual dances at this season. The


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widespread belief that the sun danced for joy on Easter morning at dawn led to the

custom of going to the hills at sunrise to see and take part in this event. A practice

that was still prevelent in the British Isles in the 19th century. Rolling colored eggsdown slopes on Easter Monday remains a popular observance especially in the North

of England. Formerly Easter eggs, sometimes were consecrated for ceremonial usein churches, and at Chester Cathedral the bishop and dean are said to have

engaged in an egg throwing match with the choir boys when the antiphon Quem

Qaeritis was sung on Easter Day.

The hare, the symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, a symbolism which is kept in

Europe is not found in North America and its place is taken by the Easter Rabbit,

the symbol of fertility and periodicity both human and lunar accredited with laying

eggs in nests prepared for it at Easter, or with hiding them away for children to

find. But it was not until the later part of the 19th century, especially during the

civil war, that Easter customs were observed in the U.S. except in a few states,such as Louisianna and Virginia, not dominated by the Puritan element. Then those

who had died in the war were commorated in the churches which were decorated

with flowers on Easter Day. This brought the festival into prominence and

gradually some of the folk customs were revived, notably under Irish influence."Funk and Wagnall Encyclopedia Easter

"Annual festival commerating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the principle

feast of the Christian year. It is celebrated on Sunday on varying dates between

Mar 22nd and Apr 25th, and it is therefore called a moveable feast. The dates of

several ecclesiastical festivals, extending over a period between septuagesimaSunday (the ninth Sunday before Easter and the first Sunday of Advent, are fixed

in relation to the date of Easter.)

Connected with the observance of Easter are the fortyday penintential season of

Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding at midnight on holy Saturday,the day before Easter Sunday; holy week, commencing on Palm Sunday, including

Good Friday, the day of the crucifixion and terminating with holy Saturday and the

Octave of Easter, extending from Easter Sunday through the following Sunday.

During the octave of Easter in early Christian times, the newly baptized wore white

garments. White being the liturgical color of Easter and signifying light, purity andjoy.

PreChristian tradition Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many preChristian

traditions. The origin of its name is unknown. Scholars however, accepting the

derivation proposed by the 8th century English scholar, Saint Bede, believe it

probably comes from Eastre, the Anglosaxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring


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and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April, her festival

celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox; traditions associated with the festival

survive in the Easter Rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored Easter eggs,originally painted with gay hues to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in

Eaaster egg rolling contests or given as gifts.Such festivals and myths and legends that explain their origin, were common in

ancient religions. A Greek myth tells of the return of Persephone, daughter of

Demeter, goddess of the earth, from the underworld to the light of day; her

return symbolized to the ancient Greeks the resurrection of life in the spring

after the desolatiion of winter. Many ancient peoples shared similiar legends. The

Phrygians believed that their omnipotent deity went to sleep at the time of the

winter solstice and they preformed ceremonies with music and dancing at the

spring equinox to awaken him. The Christian festival of Easter probably embodies a

number of converging traditions; most scholars emphasize the original relation ofEaster to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pasch. The early Christians, many of

whom were of Jewish origin, were brought up in the Hebrew tradition and regarded

Easter as a new feature of the Passover festival, a commeration of the advent of

the Messiah foretold by the prophets.What can we know about Easter, its history and origins?The Encyclopaedia Britannica (11th edition) says in the article Easter:"The name Easter, like the names of the days of the week, is a survival from theold Teutonic mythology. According to Bede [an eight century monk] it is derived

from Eostre, or Ostdra, the AngloSaxon goddess of spring, to whom the month

answering to our April, and called Eostermonath, was dedicated."Later studies indicate the word may be derived from an ancient festival celebrated

in the spring in honor of the rising sun.Many of the customs associated with Easter harken back to ancient and

nonChristian religious practices. The Encylopaedia Britannica says, regarding the

egg:"the egg as a symbol of fertility and of renewed life goes back to the ancient

Egyptians and Persians, who had also the custom of colouring and eating eggs during

their spring festival." (article Easter).


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Jesuit author Francis X. Weiser in "The Easter Book", pages 15, 181 and 188, says:"Just as many Christian customs and similar observance had their origin in

preChristian times, so, too some of the popular traditions of.... Easter dates back

to ancient nature rites... The origin of the Easter egg is based on the fertility loreof the IndoEuropean races...The Easter bunny had its origin in preChristian

fertility lore. Hare and rabbit were the most fertile animals our forefathers knew,

serving as symbols of ... new life in the spring season".So we see that Easter, its celebrations and traditions long predates Christianity,

but few ever stop to ask, just what does all this have to do with the death and

resurrection of Jesus Christ.History shows that Easter was not a tradition of the Apostles and the early

Church. The Encyclopedia Britannica further states about the holiday in its articleentitled Easter:"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New

Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The sanctity of special

times was an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians, who continued to

observe the Jewish festivals, 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 and the first fruits from the dead,

continued to be observed, and became the Christian Easter."The Change From Passover to EasterHow did this change from Passover to Easter come about, and by whose authority

was it made? Do we find any instruction in the Bible to celebrate Christ'sresurrection?We do find Easter mentioned in the Bible in Acts 12: 4, but only in the King James

version. The New King James and almost all other versions correctly translate the

word as Passover. However even in the King James there is no indication in thispassage of the celebration of an Easter Festival in commemoration of Christ's

resurrection.Looking again to history we can find much about the change of Passover to Easter.

By the second century there began to be many changes in the Christian Church.


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Writer J.L. Hurlbut in his book The Story of the Christian Church, (page 41), says

that at that time,"we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St.

Peter and St. Paul".

It was in the second century that the emphasis began to change from the

commemoration of Christ's death at the Passover to celebration of His

resurrection at the same time. Eusebius, a church historian who wrote in the

fourthcentury, says:"There was a considerable discussion raised about this time, in consequence of adifference of opinion respecting the observance of the paschal [Passover] season.

The churches of all Asia, guided by a remoter tradition, supposed that they ought

to keep the fourteenth day of the moon for the festival of the Savior's Passover,in the which day the Jews were commanded to kill the paschal lamb...it was not the

custom to celebrate it this manner in the churches throughout the rest of the

world...Hence there were synod and convocations of the bishops on this question;

and all unanimously...communicated to all the churches in all places that the

mystery of our Lord's resurrection should be celebrated on no other day than

[Sunday]" (Ecclestical History, book 5, chapter 23).Easter EstablishedBy the fourth century the controversy had reached the point that the Roman

Emperor Constantine decided to step in and bring it to an end. Constantine decided

to intervene, not for religious reasons, but for political reasons. He saw

Christianity as a means of securing unity in his empire but first he must insure

unity in the Christian church.In A.D. 325 Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea. The Evangelical Dictionary

of Theology in the article "Easter" has this to say concerning the Council of

Nicaea:" ...despite the efforts in Asia Minor to maintain the Jewish Passover date of 14

Nisan for Easter (hence the name Quartodecimans), the Council of Nicaea adopted

the annual Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox (March 21)".So we see Easter adopted by the professing Christian Church not on the authority

of God, but rather by the authority of men.


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Now Christianity had adopted Easter as its official dogma and with Constantine's

patronage and protection the Church began to grow. All manner of people began to

convert to Christianity. J.L. Hurlbut in his Story of the Christian Church, page 79writes concerning that period:"Everybody sought membership in the Church and nearly everybody was received.

Both good and bad, seekers after God and hypocritical seekers after gain, rushed

into communion... The services of worship increased in splendor, but were less

spiritual and hearty than those of former times and replaced the nighttime

Passover service that was a commemoration of Christ' death. Not only had the

date and time been changed but the whole meaning of the festival was changed. "Does it make a Difference?Humanly it seems that it would be a wonderful and reasonable thing to celebrateChrist's resurrection. Because it does seem that it must be the right thing to do

many, over the years from the second century onward, have embraced Easter as a

way to worship Jesus Christ.But what does God say in His word? Does it make a difference? Nowhere in the

Bible is there any commandment that we should commemorate Christ's

resurrection. But there are very specific commands that we should keep the New

Testament Passover not with the sacrifice of a lamb as the Israelites did, but with

the unleavened bread and wine that Christ presented to His disciples at the LastSupper. These were symbols of Christ's sacrifice for us as the perfect Passover

Lamb. If we are Christians shouldn't our goal be to order our life according to the

standards God sets in His Word?The dilemma we face with Easter is that it follows the traditions of men and not

the clear commands of God. So we are placed in the position of having to decide if

we will do what seems humanly right and follow the traditions of men, or if we will

follow the clear commands of Christ and the example of the Apostles and live

according to ever word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and not according to

the traditions of men?Christ Himself addressed this dilemma and said it was possible to worship him in

vain by following tradition: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,

and honourth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they

worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" Matthew 15: 89, ,


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and He also said that it was not enough to call Him Lord, we must also do what He

commands: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the thing which I say." Luke

6: 46 ~. Are we going to be found guilty of worshipping god in vain, following men's

traditions rather than obeying God commands? It does make a difference to God.

Are we willing to follow and obey Him even though it may mean going against the

traditions that all those around us are following?

Easter in the Bible

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