Traditionally, many people think Easter means Easter bunnies, Easter
eggs, jellybeans, Easter baskets, chocolate, new clothes, fancy ham dinners,
hot-cross buns, the arrival of Spring, etc. Indeed, this is pretty close to the
actual meaning of Easter. It began as a pagan celebration of the rites of
Spring. If you look up “Easter” in Webster’s New World Dictionary here’s what
it says:
"Easter (akin go G. Ostern), spring, Easter; orig., name of pagan vernal
festival almost coincident in date with the paschal festival of the church
< Eastre, dawn goddess
(see EAST)], 1. an annual Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of
Jesus, held on the first Sunday after the date of the first full moon that
occurs on or after March 21: abbreviated E. 2. the Sunday of this festival: often Easter Sunday." (emphasis added)
(Note: The “paschal festival” is a
reference to Passover (also known as Pasca, Pesach, Phasekh, etc.) Ostern is modern German for Ostara, a later form of Eostre.
(See below))
Here are some of the names of similar goddesses connected to the spring
rites. These are all variations of the same name or concept. Ostara a Norse
Goddess of fertility, Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus, Ashtoreth from ancient
Israel, Astarte from ancient Greece, Demeter from Mycenae, Hathor from ancient
Egypt, Ishtar from Assyria, Kali, from India. If you’re familiar with Scripture
you’ll quickly recognize some of these.
Many would tell you Easter is about the celebration of the resurrection
of YAHUSHUA (Jesus) from the dead after His crucifixion and burial. This
understanding is not correct. Tradition has convinced us this is proper, but
tradition is wrong. Tradition has blended the pagan with the religious. The
result is confusion, a work of Satan.
What’s celebrated as “Easter” should actually be part of the celebration
known as Passover (Pesach, Paska, Pascha, Phasekh, Pascal, etc.) Originally in
the early Christian communities Passover was the highest point of the religious
year. It focused on the death, resurrection, and ascension of The Messiah,
YAHUSHUA (Jesus). It was a time for remembering the first Passover, with its
deliverance of the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, and that event
foretold the later deliverance by The Messiah of people from their bondage to
sin.
Passover holds all the elements we need to examine to understand our
redemption as revealed in The Messiah, YAHUSHUA. It was right in the middle of
this time of remembrance that The Messiah was put to death as a Lamb without
blemish for the express purpose of delivering us from bondage to the debt we
owe as a result of our own personal sin. There is no greater event in the life
of one who believes in and trusts in YAHWEH and His Son, YAHUSHUA, than this,
with perhaps the exception of our final arrival in Eternity.
Passover should not be buried under the traditions of Easter
celebrations. If you do a bit of homework you can easily discover the sources
for the use of the eggs, bunnies, chocolate, ham (pork was forbidden to the
Israelites), spring cleaning, new clothes, etc. Easter was, and is, totally
pagan in its roots. It was tied to the fertility gods and goddesses. It
involved sun worship (sun-day) with its attendant sunrise services, worshipping
the coming of the sun as the vernal equinox occurred.
Easter pollutes Passover and sucks the truth out of the story, replacing
it with selfishness, greed, and pagan rituals. Why do believers allow their
children to be taught these perversions? Why has this practice not been stopped
long ago by the leaders of our churches?
Below is an excerpt from the Wikipedia posting on Passover, with similar
comments under Easter:
Anglo-Saxon and German
The modern English term Easter is
speculated to have developed from Old English
word Ēastre or Ēostre or Eoaster, which itself developed prior to 899. The name
refers to Eostur-monath, a month of the Germanic calendar attested by Bede as
named after the goddess Ēostre
of Anglo-Saxon paganism. Bede notes that Eostur-monath was the equivalent to
the month of April, and that feasts held in her honor during Ēostur-monath had
died out by the time of his writing, replaced with the Christian custom of
Easter.
Using comparative linguistic evidence
from continental Germanic sources, the 19th century scholar Jacob Grimm
proposed the existence of an equivalent form of Eostre among the pre-Christian
beliefs of the continental Germanic peoples, whose name he reconstructed as
Ostara.
The implications of the goddess
have resulted in scholarly theories about whether or not Eostre is an invention
of Bede, theories connecting Eostre with records of Germanic folk custom
(including hares and eggs), and as descendant of the Proto-Indo-European
goddess of the dawn through the etymology
of her name. Grimm's reconstructed Ostara has had some influence in modern
popular culture. Modern German has Ostern, but otherwise, Germanic languages
have generally borrowed the form pascha…
As
you can see, the origins of the name for this spring festival, Easter, have
very pagan roots. Other than the timing of this pagan festival, around the time
of the spring, or vernal, equinox, Easter had no Christian roots or basis
whatsoever. Through the course of history this pagan festival has been merged
with the celebration of Passover, and dramatically polluted it.
Like many “holidays” currently celebrated, the religious and the profane
have been merged to corrupt these events. This is nothing but the work of Satan
to confuse and deceive YAHWEH’s people. Think about the word, holiday. Where
does it come from? These were originally “holy days”, religious celebrations.
Now there just party times for the most part.
The Wikipedia posting on Passover begins like this:
Passover is a biblically
mandated holiday, indicating that it was
already old and traditional by the time of the redaction (editing) of the Pentateuch:
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month between the two evenings is the LORD'S Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. And ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days; in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work. (Leviticus 23.5) (emphasis added)
The merging of the secular pagan
traditions with the religious ones has truly muddied the waters. The result is
confusion in the minds of those who claim to be Christians, and even the minds
of many who have a Jewish background. For those who are not religious there is
also much confusion about just exactly what Easter really means. Most simply do
not know.
It’s my hope that this article will clarify the issues for those who are
interested in knowing the truth. The traditional celebration of Easter needs to
be significantly altered if one is to be faithful to the Word of YAHWEH (God).
In its present form, with all of its corruptions, Easter does not really honor
Him, or his Son, YAHUSHUA (Jesus). Indeed, it makes a mockery of the original
Passover story and the later deliverance of Believers from their sin debt.
Where Do We Begin?
We
must begin by returning to the Scriptural account of Passover (Pesach, Paskah,
Pascah, etc.) The story of the death and resurrection of The Messiah, YAHUSHUA,
ultimately begins with the story of the deliverance of Israel from bondage in
Egypt. The book of Exodus contains the essence of this story. Chapters 1-4 tell
of Moses and his preparation for this event. Chapters 5-14 recount the events
surrounding this great deliverance. Chapter 12 specifically identifies the
beginning instructions concerning Passover.
Passover was to be a perpetual “appointed time” (festival) for the
children of Israel (Exodus 12.14, 42). They were to remember YAHWEH’s
deliverance throughout all their succeeding generations. They were never to
forget what He had done for them in redeeming the entire nation from 430 years
of bondage.
What they didn’t realize was that this time of remembrance was also
prophetic. It foreshadowed the coming of The Messiah many generations later. He
would also deliver YAHWEH’s people from bondage. But this bondage involved the
deliverance from the consequences of their sin. The Passover celebration was
intended to remind us of His mighty deliverance, both in the past and in the
present. Even now, it points the way to the future.
Passover
The events of Passover are fairly specific. The original event was only
completed one time, but there were instructions for how to celebrate the
remembrance of that event. By this I mean the Angel of Death did not visit the
land every time Passover occurred. That only happened the first time.
There were specific instructions given for consecrating the first born
after Israel entered the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan (Exodus 13.1,
11-16). This was to be a reminder of the death of Egypt’s first born on the
very first night of The Passover. It was also indicative of the death of
YAHWEH’s first born Son, YAHUSHUA.
The preparation for Passover included the institution of a new time
schedule for Israel. Exodus 12.1-2 identifies this new beginning. We know it as
the first of Nisan or Abib. It’s important to recognize that Israel established
their months on the basis of the cycle of the moon. A new moon (darkness) was
the beginning of a new month. (The very word, month, comes from this concept.)
Their calendar would essentially differ from that of the rest of the world from
this point onward, establishing the uniqueness in which YAHWEH treated his
chosen people. The first day of their year was not in January, but was instead
established by YAHWEH as the day in which their deliverance was prepared. It
would forever act as a reminder that with YAHWEH things are always different
from the ways of the world. It was determined by things YAHWEH created in the
beginning, in Genesis.
On
the 10th of the month they were to select an unblemished lamb. They
were to keep it until the 14th day of the month and kill it at
twilight. If the family was too small to eat all of it, they were to share it
with another family, a neighbor. Some of the blood from this lamb was to be
spread, with hyssop branches, on the lintel and the doorposts of the houses
where it was to be eaten. They were to stay inside that night.
The lamb was to be roasted in fire and eaten with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs. The entire animal was to be roasted in the fire. None of it was
to remain until the morning. Any portions not consumed were to be burnt with
fire. It was also to be eaten with a belt on the waist, and sandals on the
feet. It was to be eaten quickly, not like a normal slow feasting that would be
done. It was preparation for the journey out of the land of Egypt.
In
connection with this event they were also to celebrate seven days of unleavened
bread. (Exodus 12.15-20, 13.3-10) It involved a holy assembly on the first day
and on the seventh day. No work was to be done on these days. This, too, was to
be a perpetual celebration on the 14th through the 21st
of the month. No leaven was to be found in the houses. No leaven was to be
eaten. Anyone who did not comply would be cut off from the assembly of Israel.
At
midnight on the 14th of the month (remember the day began at sunset)
YAHWEH struck all the first born of Egypt. They all died. Then Pharaoh released
the Israelites to leave the country, urging them to go. About six hundred
thousand men, plus women and children marched out of Egypt. Estimates suggest
2-5 million people were involved in The Exodus event. Nothing like it had ever
been seen in all creation, nor would there ever be an event like it again.
First Fruits and The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost, Shavuot
After Israel entered the Promised Land YAHWEH established the
celebrations of The Feast of First Fruits and The Feast of Weeks, sometimes
called Counting the Omer, during the time of the Passover (Pesach or Phasekh)
celebration. The Feast of First Fruits involved waving a sheaf of freshly
harvested barley before YAHWEH on the day after the Sabbath. (There’s much
debate about which day this was, but many have taken this to mean the first day
of the week, the day after the normal Sabbath. This may not be completely
accurate.)
From this day they were to count seven Sabbaths plus one day, 50 days.
This became known as Counting the Omer. The omer was a dry measure of a
quantity of barley. This omer was involved in the waving of the barley for
First Fruits. The idea was to count the days from the day the omer was
presented to the priest. The last day was also the day after the Sabbath.
The 50 days became known as Pentecost (Shavuot), mainly because that was the Greek
word for fifty. It’s typically how we remember it today, although we seldom
celebrate it as we should. It’s a very significant date in the life of Israel
and The Church. It’s believed that on this very day The Law was given to Moses.
It’s also the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on those who believed in The
Messiah, YAHUSHUA (Jesus) following His resurrection and ascension.
This celebration was originally referred to as The Feast of Weeks, or
Shavuot. It was also called The Feast of First Fruits because it involved
presenting the first fruits of the wheat harvest. A study of the feasts, or
appointed times, of YAHWEH will give you some very interesting insights into
their meaning for us even today.
The use of the term first fruits for both times has certainly caused
some confusion about what really constitutes the Feast of First Fruits. There
are actually two celebrations, but one should be called the Feast of Weeks, or
Pentecost, to distinguish them from one another. Satan is always trying to
confuse YAHWEH’s people.
The Sad Reality
Most people, Christians and Jews alike, have a very limited
understanding of these events and their celebrations today. Many know little or
nothing about Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, The Feast of First
Fruits, the consecration of the first born, The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost
(Shavuot), Counting the Omer, and all of the things that are thus connected
together to the event we inappropriately call “Easter”.
This is most unfortunate. Passover affects virtually everything we do in
our Christian walk. Perversely, the traditions of men have replaced The Word of YAHWEH
in the practice of our religious faith. Passover has succumbed to Easter.
Christmas, which we know is not the time for the birth of The Messiah, has been
perverted with Santa Claus, gifts, huge debt, and selfishness. All Saints Day
has been perverted by Halloween. Mardi Gras taints the spring feasts. Father’s
Day corrupts Pentecost.
We
need, desperately, to correct these unconscionable perversions. We need to
present the truth of Scripture to the people of YAHWEH. We need to call people
back to YAHWEH’s Word to re-discover the very foundations of our faith. How can
we honor YAHWEH and His Son YAHUSHUA if we do not know why we are celebrating
the events we call holidays? How can we honor them when the mingling of pagan
traditions with religious celebrations clouds our minds with misunderstandings
and evil lies?
Do You Know?
Spring cleaning has its origins in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. No
leaven was to be found in the houses of the people of YAHWEH. For seven days
they were to eat only unleavened bread. If leavening was found in their homes
they were to be cut off from the assembly. So, every year at Passover time, the
people of YAHWEH would clean their homes from top to bottom, removing the
leaven, making certain none remained in their home. That’s the real origin of
this concept.
We
need to “clean house” with the people of God today. We need to get the
corruption out of our lives. Leaven is a symbol of sin in Scripture. How
appropriate such a symbol is. We need to get the sin out of our lives, every
day. And when it comes to our religious traditions, we need to purge the House
of YAHWEH of the polluting influence of the traditions of men.
The unleavened wafers of communion speak to the Feast of unleavened
Bread. The cup of communion speaks of the shed blood of YAHUSHUA, and was part
of the Passover meal YAHUSHUA shared with His disciples. Baptism reminds us of
the consecration of the first born. And the firstborn remind us of the coming
inheritance promised to those who believe and trust in YAHWEH. The waving of
the first fruits remind us that they belong to YAHWEH, the best of the best,
and the first of the produce of our labors.
The counting of the omer, 50 days, reminds us to anticipate our entrance
into the inheritance, the Promised Land of Eternity. Pentecost, the culmination
of the 50 days, reminds us of the giving of The Law and the deliverance from
The Law at the same time. It reminds us YAHWEH sent The Teacher, The Holy
Spirit, to live in our midst – the Spirit of YAHWEH dwelling within us.
But these are all lost amidst the traditions of men. Tradition has swallowed up The
Word of YAHWEH. Tradition has buried the Truth under a pile of lies and
deceptions. My heart aches as I witness the devastation. I long to help at
least a few others re-discover the foundations of our faith. I long to have
others help me remember what great things YAHWEH has done for us.
We
don’t have a lot of time left. We
need to spread The Word. We are far closer today to the return of The Messiah
than many realize. We are warned that “as it was in the days of Noah,” so shall
it be when the Son of Man comes again.
People were caught up in doing things their way when the flood came.
They would not listen to the Word of YAHWEH, even though it was proclaimed to
them. Only eight were redeemed from the floodwaters. The Word of YAHWEH, and
even the gene pool of the human race, had been corrupted to the point YAHWEH
could stand for it no longer.
The time is coming for s very similar process to occur once more. No
more water, but the fire next time. Nuclear holocaust? Volcanic explosions?
Asteroid impact? Global warfare? An outburst of solar radiation so intense it
burns up the planet? Take your pick. We don’t know how soon it will come. But
we know it will come. Our task is to live this day for YAHWEH, listening to His
Word and obeying his Word. But we cannot do that if we do not know His Word.
What Can You Do?
Most importantly the question is, “What will you do to change the way things are done?” You can
begin immediately to stop following the traditions you’ve accepted as being
correct. It’s time to start questioning every one of your traditions. Find out
the Truth. Do your homework. It’s not that hard to do. If you could find this
page on the Internet you can learn a great deal about the traditions you’ve
been taught and their real origins.
Talk to your family, friends, pastor, teacher, etc. Ask them questions.
Find out what they really know, or don’t know about these things. Do a study of
the Feasts of Israel. At the very least, read Leviticus 23 as a beginning. Read
the story of the Exodus and the Passover, regularly to remind you off the
lessons involved.
Get serious about studying The Word of YAHWEH. You cannot learn what you
do not read, or what you do not focus your mind upon. Do everything you can to
follow what YAHWEH says, not what man says. Encourage your pastor or Bible
study teacher to explore these areas with you. Start a study for your family or
with your friends and learn these things for yourself. I’ve only scratched the
surface of these vitally important topics. There’s much more to learn.
Most importantly, confess your ignorance and misuse of these things to
YAHWEH. Repent. Determine in your heart that you will change the way you do
things. That’s what repentance is about. Seek to truly honor Him, doing what He
desires, and not what the world says you should do. Ask Him to teach you by His
Spirit. He will. Then trust His Word as you grow in your understanding of it.