Easter - Is It A Christian Festival?
By Charles Crosby

Easter is the main Christian event of the year, isn’t it - or is it? Is it, in reality, like Christmas, just another pagan celebration with the cracks of lies and deceit, papered over by men of the Christian Religion i.e. Papists, Protestants and all the other deluded denominations (demon-inations) alike?

What have rabbits, eggs (chocolate or otherwise) and hot cross buns got to do with the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection? What do these silly symbols do, other than insult, trivialise and actually continue the mockery that The Lord Jesus Christ endured at the hands of those who abused Him?

Is the Easter festival Biblical, let’s check it out and see? Fortunately, the dreadful word Easter is found only once in Holy Scriptures:

Acts 12:3-4 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers (16 soldiers) to keep him; intending after Easter (Passover) to bring him forth to the people. (Brackets mine) Here we have all the evidence we need to know that Easter is a religious addition to the Holy Bible. A quick look up in Strong’s Concordance will tell us plainly that the word here was originally ‘Passover’. We also have evidence to support that in

Acts 12:3 Then were the days of unleavened bread - the Jewish Holy Day Feast which followed the Passover. We need to remember that Jesus Christ became the Passover Lamb and He was sacrificed at Passover - the last Passover. Please note, all other uses of the word ‘Passover’ in the KJV are written as ‘Passover’, twenty eight times in all and Easter is not mentioned again - why?

Why, because Easter is a pagan festival based purely and simply on fertility rites and reproduction - the fertility of the spring season through the warming sun and the beginning of a new agricultural year. A time when, and where, man places all his hopes in a plentiful growing season and an increase in his live stock and crops. This is why rabbits and eggs feature in such a big way. The May Pole, around which young children dance, represents an erect penis - a phallic symbol. The sum total meaning of all this symbolism is the worship of the creation rather than worship of the Creator. None of it has anything to do with Jesus Christ - not one jot of it!!

Easter has its origins in the pagan religions of Mesopotamia. The Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians and Egyptians all worshiped pagan fertility deities: Ishtar, Astarte and Eostre. Easter eggs and their origin can be traced back to Ancient Babylon. From there we get the myth that the goddess Astarte came down from ‘heaven’ and deposited a large egg in the river Euphrates from which she magically appeared. So why has this pagan nonsense been allowed into the Christian Religion? Easy, wherever the original purveyors of the Christian Religion went, teaching their non-gospel, they just absorbed other religious festivals and customs into their own. By doing this they gained thousands of ‘converts’ and remained popular by condoning the continuation of these meaningless pagan activities. We must always remember the Devil is not divided, he may display himself in a myriad of ways so as to deceive but he only has one plan and one aim - the destruction of Jesus Christ’s Church - The Elect and ultimately all of mankind.

Here is another thing, why does Easter always move around and land on different dates each year when Passover lands on the same date each and every year? Easy, one is a counterfeit and the other is the original. The thing is, are we, as Christians, supposed to keep either of these festivals which are really just ritualistic in nature and if regulated, which they are, become a law unto themselves? This is one of the very things The Lord Jesus Christ came to do away with - laws and rituals of religion which undermine the Spirit of Freedom under Grace and Christ’s sacrifice. Paul says in 1 Cor 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament (New Covenant) in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Under Grace we are now free to break the bread and drink the wine whenever we wish, any day of the week, as long as we eat and drink it worthily - with respect. If it is your desire to celebrate one special day a year on the real anniversaries of His death and resurrection then you had better make sure it’s not Easter ‘cos that isn’t the right day nor is it the right date and by keeping Easter you are, by default, worshipping a pagan deity.

Now this is a Truth, Easter has caused us to lose sight of the original event - Passover, which was a shadow of Jesus Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. The blood of the sacrificial lambs was smeared or daubed on the posts and lintels of the Israelite’s houses. This happened whilst they were slaves in Egypt and the angel of death passed over them. They were redeemed or saved by the lamb’s blood whilst the Egyptians first born were all slaughtered. Easter has no connection with this event at all - none whatsoever!! Am I saying go and join in with the Jews and keep Passover? No, a thousand times no!! The grace of The Lord Jesus Christ has saved and redeemed you from all that. All we need to do is remember He lives with us through His Holy Spirit all day and every day if we are Born Again. We remember too what He did for us in His death and resurrection every day of our lives as well, not just once a year.

Here is yet another Truth, when and wherever the Romans conquered other peoples and civilisations in the expansion of their Empire, they always incorporated these people’s religions, religious deities and customs into their own. The only exception to this policy was if and when they came across True Believers and followers of Jesus Christ. In this case their policy turned quickly to ruthless persecution often to death for these brave followers of The Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, when the ‘Holy’ Roman Empire replaced the former militaristic Roman Empire the policy of absorption of pagan religions continued - nothing changed and nor did The Roman Empire apart from it’s new name. Watch out for my study on Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian image in Daniel 2, coming soon - you cannot afford to miss it. Also coming soon: Did The Lord Jesus Christ die on Good Friday? Watch this space to find out.

Charles Crosby

Revised and edited 24th August 2007

As always feel free to e-mail me at yes2faith@yahoo.co.uk with any questions.

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