AN EASTER MESSAGE

by Timothy A. & Kimberly B. Southall

Jackson Snyder Monthly Viewsletter

|

Friends, Snyder Bible is 100% funded by donations and affiliate link sales.  I have been here nearly ten years and still adding resources for you daily.  I make my living by the Good News - too proud to beg (much); too weak to dig.  If any of these pages have been helpful to you, then donate to help me keep going.  Won't you help me keep at it?

Mat 10:40. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.

Many Christians are unaware of the origins of Easter, which is actually a pagan festival held in honor of idols. In fact, Easter was celebrated hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ. It wasn't until at least 300 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the establishment of his church that the celebration of his resurrection began to be intermingled with the pagan practices of Easter.

Origins of the Word "Easter" and the Goddess it Represents. "Easter" is derived from "Eostre," the pagan Anglo-Saxon goddess, and/or "Eostare," the Norse pagan festival of spring. When God gave the law to the Israelites in the Old Testament, he clearly instructed them not to even utter the name of other gods (Exodus 23:13). Aphrodite, Asherah, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Diana, Eostre, Ianna, Ishtar, Isis, Ostara, Semiramis, Venus . . . call her what you will, but she is one and the same--a false goddess, an idol, worshiped by pagans. And God declares that she is detestable.  In every instance, she is an idol which greatly angers God. Inanna, the Sumerian patron of the temple prostitutes (also considered the merciful mother who intercedes with the gods on behalf of her worshipers), is represented with a star inscribed in a circle. There are several scriptures which clearly show that worship of any of the celestial elements (sun, moon or stars) is forbidden by God (Deuteronomy 17:2-5; 2 Kings 21:3-7; 2 Kings 23:4-15; Ezekiel 8:15-16). Ishtar [pronounced (the Babylonian/Chaldean goddess of love and war) and Semiramis (an Assyrian goddess) were both known as the "Queen of Heaven." And the "Queen of Heaven" is specifically mentioned in the Bible (Jeremiah 7:18; Jeremiah 44:19, 25).

Eostre (an Anglo-Saxon/Teutonic goddess) was the goddess of the sunrise and spring. Ostara (a Norse/Saxon goddess) was the maiden goddess of spring.

Origins of Hares (Bunnies) and Eggs. According to Teutonic myth, the hare was once a bird whom Eostre changed into a four-footed creature. Thus, it can also lay eggs. The hare is also the sacred companion and sacrificial victim of Eostre. Astarte (a Phoenician/Syrian goddess), on the other hand, was believed to have been hatched from a huge egg which fell into the Euphrates.

Origins of Good Friday. Did you ever wonder why Good Friday is recognized as the day Jesus died and Sunday as the day he arose but yet had trouble explaining how he could thus be buried for three days and three nights? Matthew 27:63; Mark 8:31; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34) The answer is simple: He didn't actually die on Friday. The Chaldeans offered cakes to Ishtar on the equivalent of the day we know as Good Friday. When the established church wanted to appease the paganistic people in order to "convert" them to Christianity, they moved the dates accordingly. Jesus actually died on the day of Preparation of Passover Week, which that year occurred on Wednesday (John 19:14, 31-42). Thursday was the Sabbath of the Passover. Friday, Messiah was still in the tomb. Saturday was the "regular" Sabbath. Jesus arose after the Saturday Sabbath was concluded, which was the first day of the week, the day we know as Sunday (Mark 16:9; John 20:1).

Origins of Lent. The word "lent" is of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "spring." Lent developed from the pagan celebration of weeping, fasting, and mourning for 40 days over the death of Tammuz (one day for each year of his life). Tammuz (the son/husband of the Babylonian idol Ishtar) was killed by a wild boar and then allegedly resurrected. This mourning of Tammuz is specifically prophesied by Ezekiel in the Bible and is characterized by God Himself as being detestable (Ezekiel 8:13-15).

Origins of the use of the lily. Asherah (a Sidonian goddess) was frequently represented as a nude woman bestride a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other.

Origins of wearing new clothing for Easter. The tradition of wearing new clothing for Easter comes from the superstition that a new garment worn at Easter means good luck throughout the year.

Origins of the timing. The timing of the festival of "Eostar" (the festival of spring) predates the birth of Messiah Jesus, and the festival was always celebrated in conjunction with pagan idol worship. In 325 A.D. it was conveniently linked to the full moon on or following the spring or vernal equinox, March 21, when nature is in resurrection after winter. This is also when Easter is celebrated in modern times. The timing of Jesus' resurrection is linked to the Passover rather than to the vernal equinox.

Who celebrates Easter? Witches, who base their celebrations (including Halloween) on the phases of the moon, celebrate Easter. Christians, however, are clearly forbidden from observing this pagan celebration (Deuteronomy 12:30-31; Luke 4:8; 1 Corinthians 10:20-22; Ephesians 5:11). There is a good reason why the early church never spoke of Easter and why there is absolutely no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament. (The only exception is a mistranslation in the King James version of Acts 12:4, where it gives the word "Easter" instead of the correction translation "Passover.")

Honoring Christ. While there isn't anything wrong with spring, nature, rabbits, eggs, pastries, fires, lilies, or wearing new clothing, doing or observing such things only for "Easter" is either knowingly or unknowingly participating in pagan practices. Christians who do not yet see anything wrong with such practices should prayerfully read and study 1 Corinthians 10:18-11:1.

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus can be remembered through observance of the Lord's Supper, a Passover celebration, or other biblical worship. (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Christians should always remember that the focus of the resurrection is Jesus the Messiah, and it all happened at Passover time.

A decision to make. You now have a decision to make concerning Easter. In the oft-quoted words of Joshua: "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15 NIV)

Copyright © 1998-2001 Timothy A. & Kimberly B. Southall