“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
- John 8:32
Do We Follow The Crowd?
Easter is a time filled with many traditions and customs of our past. Most of us have been taught since childhood to accept Easter, or “Holy Week,” (Lent, Palm Sunday and Good Friday) as part of our Christian worship. Also part of those traditions would include decorating eggs, egg hunts, hot cross buns, Easter candy, rabbits, ham dinners, and going to Easter Sunrise Service. As you read this article, you will discover how these traditions or customs came into being, and how pagan these practices are!
Because of the “sheep” instinct in humans, most of us believe a lot of things that are not true; we go along with the crowd, without asking ourselves first, what does Lord say about this? “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil,” Exodus 23:2.
Easter Pre-Dates Christianity
The Easter Celebration has been referred to as “the oldest and most important Christian festival.” As history records, Easter has ancient roots, and you would be surprised to discover just how old it actually is! Most believers today coincide it as a purely “Christian” holiday commemorating Christ’s resurrection, and thus dating back only as far as that time. The fact is, however, that “Easter” was celebrated by ancient pagans using the very same name, at the very same time of the year, in the very same fashion as it is today, long before Christ died, rose, or became incarnate! Did you ever wonder why Easter is a different time each year? This originated in Babylon; it was always celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, as it is done today.
As to the question, “Is Easter in the Bible?” Yes, the word is in the King James Bible in Acts 12:4. It was referring to King Herod’s (pagan) celebration of Easter or also called Ishtar, after a pagan goddess. It is the name of a heathen feast which usually occurred in the month of April. These pagan customs were celebrated long before Christ was even born, and were observed in honor of the sun’s rebirth (resurrection).
You ask, how did these beliefs entered into the Christian Church? It was through the Roman Emperor Constantine; he proclaimed Christianity the official religion of the empire. These old pagan traditions were so ingrained in the hearts of the people, they didn’t want to change. That is when the Roman Catholics “christianized” and adopted these pagan customs and incorporated them into the church. They mingled the abominable practices of idolatrous spring festival worship with the purity and truth of Christianity! As you will read in these verses what Jesus said about being separated from evil: 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Apostles Observed Passover
Passover was to be observed by the early apostles and converted Christians. It is a memorial of the crucifixion of Christ, and to be commemorated and observed in remembrance of our Passover Lamb, not the pagan celebration of Easter. God Almighty commanded His people to observe the Passover forever. Exodus 12:24, “And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.” This command was given while the Israelites were still in Egypt, prior to the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses! It pictured, before the crucifixion, Christ’s death for the remission of our sins. At His last Passover, Jesus changed the symbols used, from the blood of a lamb and eating its roasted body, to the bread and wine, as we do today in remembrance. Luke 22:19, 20 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Jesus did not abolish Passover … He merely changed the symbols used.
All of the Apostles of Christ, and true Christians of the first century church, observed it. Reaffirming year to year on its anniversary, the true Christian’s Faith in the blood of Christ for the remission of sin, and the broken body of Christ for physical healings.
But what happened? Most people have been deceived into dropping the true Passover, commemorating the death of our true Savior for our sins, and substituting in its place the pagan (Easter), commemorating the counterfeit “saviour” and mediator of Baal, the sun god.
How Easter Was Injected Into The Church
How did this pagan festival enter into and become part of professing Christians? In those ancient times there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah’s sons, named Ham. Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis. Cush and Semiramis then had a son named Nimrod. After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful King. The Bible tells of this man, Nimrod, in Genesis 10:8-10 as follows: “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” Nimrod became a god-man to the people and Semiramis, his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon.
Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom. Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found, which was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it, and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called “Baal,” the sun god.
Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship. Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess. Many churches today have special ceremonies involving candles.
The Easter Egg: Eggs are among the most common of Easter symbols. Each year at this time, millions of them are dyed, decorated, hidden and hunted by Christians all over the world. Many of them having no idea how or why eggs are associated with Easter. Did Jesus or His Apostles do this? This is purely a pagan tradition that was adopted by an apostate church!
It was told that Queen Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived; she taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full. She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River. This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox. Semiramis became known as “Ishtar” which is pronounced “Easter” and her moon egg became known as “Ishtar’s egg,” claiming that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive. The egg she bought forth was named Tammuz.
Are you willing to be involved with such pagan practices and teach our children to partake in something that is not honoring to our Lord? They mingled the abominable practices of idolatrous spring festival worship with the purity and truth of Christianity!!
The Easter Bunny: How did the bunny come to be associated with Easter? What has it to do with Christ’s Resurrection? Just like the egg, the rabbit is now part of the Easter story, which came from the pagan past. Ishtar’s only begotten son (as she refers to him) who was named Tammuz, was especially fond of rabbits; and they became sacred in the ancient religion, because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god, Baal. The hare or rabbit was the animal of ancient times closely associated with heathen symbol of fertility.
Those ancient spring customs are still observed today, precisely as they were before Christ was born. Unfortunately, now they are practiced right in the church by people who think they are glorifying God.
Easter Ham: As to the origin of Ham for your Easter Dinner, it goes back to Tammuz, the son of Ishtar. Like his father Nimrod (the sun-god Baal), he became a hunter. The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig; they found the pig, killed and ate it. According to pagan customs Tammuz died on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday. Queen Ishtar told the people that he was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp as Father, Son and Spirit. What a blasphemy!!! Ishtar who was now worshipped as the “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven” continued to build her mystery religion. Dear Christian, why should we participate in such a mockery of God!
Lent and Hot Cross Buns: Jesus observed no Lent. The apostles, and the early true church of God observed no Lenten Season. Then how did this observance originate? This was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess, Ishtar, who proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. In Ezekiel 8:14 “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.” During this time, no meat was to be eaten. Worshippers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal (father) and Tammuz (son) and to make the sign of the “T” in front of their hearts as they worshipped. It started in the 6th century that the Roman Catholic Church imposed this and is still going on today! They placed a “T” on their forehead using ashes of a tree. They also ate sacred cakes with the markings of a “T” or cross on the top, which is the hot-cross buns that are sold today around Easter. 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 unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” May God help us all to see His great displeasure in this amalgamation of Christianity with Idolatry!!!
The Easter Lily: Yet another custom whose origins can be traced to the pagan past is the Easter lily. Having become symbolic of the season, churches decorate their altars with these. The so-called “Easter lily” has long been revered by pagans as a holy symbol associated with the reproductive organs, or phallic symbol. Thus we see that virtually every aspect of our present Easter customs had their source in the shameful immoral fertility rites of the pagan past!
Sunrise Service: Look what the Bible says about this. God was showing the prophet Ezekiel the sins of His people in a vision, idol-worship among professing people of God. Ezekiel 8:15, 16 “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 backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.” Do you grasp what this most abominable thing is?
It is the same identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning “The Sunrise Service,” standing with their faces towards the east, as the SUN is rising in a mythical idolatrous consort with the goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient SUN-WORSHIP of the sun-god Baal! This is revealed as the MOST ABOMINABLE of all idolatry in the sight of our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ!!!
It should be obvious by now that the customs of the so called mainstream of Christianity are the cause of weakness among believers which allows success among the enemies of the Kingdom of God. Many very religious people may take these things lightly, but God does not.
As you have read this article please pray for the truth to be revealed; John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Our sincere prayer is that once you are made aware of the source and significance of the Easter celebration; and as these facts are presented, that you will question whether you can participate in it with a clear conscience any longer.
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries,” Hebrews 10:26 & 27.
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them,” 2 Peter 2:20 & 21.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king,” 1 Samuel 15:23.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” 2 Corinthians 6:17.
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints,” Jude 1:3.
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16.
Final thought: Our Creator, Jesus Christ became the Lamb of God that was sacrificed for us! He shed his precious blood to cover us and wash away our sins. Jesus became our Passover Lamb! When we die, God will notice if we have the blood of Jesus covering us. If we’re not protected by His blood, we will be cast into the lake of fire for eternal death!
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission,” Hebrews 9:22.
It takes the love of the truth to defeat the enemy, to be obedient and forsake idolatry and the “World’s” Easter!
~Truth Comes With Responsibilities~
~Let us be ambassadors for Christ in Spirit and in Truth~
Seek the Lord Jesus for the truth, and He will guide you on the right path!
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” Matthew 7:7.
Do you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Are you spiritually ready to meet Him today? Do you feel Jesus tugging at your heart? Are you answering His call? Once you acknowledge that you are a sinner, ask the Lord Jesus for His forgiveness and turn away from your old life … Repent … and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us. It’d be a blessing to hear from you!
May the Lord Jesus Christ Bless You with the Truth!
References
- Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible
- Rabbits, Eggs & Other Easter Errors by Russel K. Tardo
- Easter or Passover? By Berean Independent Baptist Church
- The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop
- Is Easter PAGAN? From www.thechurchinhope.com
- The Pagan Origin of Easter & Last Trumpet Newsletter (Vol 8, Issue 6, April ’89) by Pastor David Meyer
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