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IS EASTER CHRISTIAN?
by Pastor Jeromy John Visser
(Introduction:)
Is Easter a Christian holiday? You might just be surprised to discover the answer. As you may have noticed, this ministry intentionally had no services on "Easter" weekend nor the weekend following for observance of the true Passover. Now that some time has passed I'd like to address the topic of Easter and also explain how it came to be a part of judeo-Christianity as we know it today. I'll also be sharing some of my own experiences from this year's pagan celebration and how I avoided it.
Without a doubt, the so-called "Christian" holiday known as Easter has the ability to line the pews with your average "Sunday Christian." For some reason or another, Christians 'in name only' feel the need to go to an organized church on Easter Sunday more than any other time of year and engage in forbidden sunrise services or egg hunts for their children. Here in Georgia, practically every major business was closed in observance of this antichrist holiday while the 501(c)3 judeo-churches were packed to standing room only. My wife and I drove our car out and around between the hours of 9 a.m. to 12 noon noticing the many churches with cars parked on the lawn or street to accommodate the large congregations being spoon-fed inside.
This is a sad state of affairs considering the entire pagan practice of Easter hinges upon one mistransliterated verse in the Bible found in Acts 12:4 that reads; "When he [Herod] had apprehended him [Peter], he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people." The word 'Easter' is taken from the Chaldee word pascha (pronounced pas'-khah) which literally means "The Passover (Strong's #G3957)." This same word pascha was correctly translated twenty-nine times as "Passover" in our scriptures but this one blunder has caused many well-meaning Christians to jump headfirst into ancient pagan practices that the Lord forbids specifically in our perfect Law.
We'll be looking into some of those practices and where they originated in this evening's sermon. It's my sincere wish that you will further study these facts that I will be presenting this evening in much more depth in order to make your own judgment as to how "Christian" the holiday known as Easter is. The fact of the matter is Easter has nothing to do with Christ or Christianity, period.
I think it's only fair to start by discussing this very word 'Easter' and where it originated. Many Bible-believers are familiar with the goddess Ashtoreth in our beloved scriptures. This is the female deity of fertility that would usually accompany the false god Baal in lewd pagan phallic-worship services and we briefly covered how the mighty king Solomon offended Yahweh by building a high place for this whore goddess in Solomon's Strange Wives a couple of weeks back.
Webster's New World College Dictionary defines this deity as "a Semitic goddess of fertility and sexual love, worshiped by the Phoenicians and others, also called Ishtar or Astarte" while the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1894) says "the Queen of Heaven with the ancient Phoenicians, was Astarte; Greeks, Hera; Romans, Juno; Trivia, Hecate, Diana, the Egyptian Isis, etc., were all so called; but with the Roman Catholics it is the Virgin Mary." I think you might be starting to see where this is going.
Encyclopedia Britannica explains it this way "Astarte/Ashtoreth is the Queen of Heaven to whom the Canaanites had burned incense and poured libations" and "through her identification with the Greek Aphrodite and the Roman Venus, Inanna-Ishtar, the queen of heaven, still survives in Roman Catholic iconography - e.g., as the Virgin Mary standing on the moon." Rest assured, I'll be addressing the gloomy topics of the Catholic church and the late pope John Paul II in a future message so stick around. For now, I want to center in on a few passages that deal with this so-called "queen of heaven" known as Ishtar so we can learn Yahweh's own opinion of the matter.
In Jeremiah 44:25-27 we're taught; "Thus saith Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of Yahweh, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith Yahweh, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord Yahweh liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them."
Here's another; "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. Do they provoke me to anger? saith Yahweh: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces (Jeremiah 7:18-19)?"
Here lies the beauty of the scriptures -- notice the use of the word "confusion?" What a perfect description of these latter days that could also be considered Babylon or literally "confusion by mixing (Strong's #H894)." This same "queen of heaven" known as Ishtar was discovered by the noted archeologist Austen Layard to be the very same diety as Ashtoreth and her name in English is simply "Easter." What is the very first commandment? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3)."
A further study on the word "Shekhina" will lead to some interesting teachings that prove this same deity is the goddess of the Kabbala, or "book of jewish mysticism." Just like Christmas, we can discover that "Easter" is also a judeo concept.
(It Was Dark:)
So what's the deal with all these so-called "sunrise services" that so many judeo-christians like to engage in on Easter weekend? One thing's for certain, it has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus Christ considering he was resurrected while the sun was still down. In John 20:1 it reads; "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre." I bet a few of those false prophets teaching around the country on Easter weekend intentionally avoided this verse for obvious reasons but I tend to think there's a lot more to their tactics.
In Ezekiel 8:16-18 we discover; "He brought me into the inner court of the Yahweh's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of Yahweh, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. 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 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." Sun-worship is not a new thing, that's for certain.
Think about people going to a so-called church to supposedly reverence Jesus' death and standing outside the building looking towards the sun, how do you think this would make Yahweh feel? Wouldn't a false prophet support this practice? Wouldn't an honest Christian already be aware of the origins of Easter, the time of Christ's resurrection and in turn question this procedure? Did any Christians notice that pope John Paul II was taken the very evening of the Passover? I guess he wasn't covered by the Lamb people think he sided with.
Again, this practice ties into the not-so-holy Roman church and their fascination with the numerous sun gods. In a future message I'll cover the topics of the false 'Sunday' Sabbath, the bastard Monstrance and the very pagan "IHS" trinity (Isis, Horace and Set) that graces their bloody cross and shameful history. Once again, I'd like to see exactly what Yahweh thinks of this practice -- continuing the ten commandments we read; "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them (Exodus 20:4-5)."
Another warning is found in Deuteronomy 17:2-5; "If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which Yahweh thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of Yahweh thy God, in transgressing his covenant, And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die."
One more verse dealing with sun-worship; "At that time, saith Yahweh, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith Yahweh of hosts (Jeremiah 8:1-3)."
Diana is the Ephesian goddess of sex, fertility, virginity and motherhood and she is said to be the source of all nature by modern-day pagans. She also happens to be another representation of Ishtar so these verses need to be covered.
In Acts 19:24-27 we read; "For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth."
We see that after the resurrection of Jesus Christ there were still idol makers like this pagan man Demetrius who were getting upset with the Christian movement headed by Paul the apostle because it cut into his profits. This is a rather strange fact considering that today Easter is plainly a consumer holiday. Nonetheless, let's continue reading to see how the Ephesians answered the idol-worshipping Demetrius.
"And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre. And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians (Acts 19:28-34)."
Notice that confusion always seems to accompany idol worship? Here's a quick verse that gives us insight into the mindset of Yahweh on this matter; "This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing (Jeremiah 13:10)."
Anyway, we should finish the account in Acts; "And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess (Acts 19:35-37)." Ah, the queen of heaven who supposedly fell down from Jupiter.
The reason I'm covering these passages is to make notice that Paul preached the message of Jesus Christ but still didn't blaspheme the whore goddess of the Ephesians -- the not-so-great Diana, or Ishtar. You certainly won't hear me teach people to "make the best of it." If Paul, or better yet Jesus Christ Himself was to walk into a modern-day church on Easter weekend, do you think that either of them would be very happy to see what's going on "in his name?" At no place in the entire scriptures are we commanded to celebrate Jesus' death or resurrection. Sadly, most churches neglect to make any mention of Christ on Easter or address their many discrepancies but would rather gorge themselves on ham or roll eggs on the ground. Ever wonder how that came to be?
You might be shocked to discover where the many origins of the practices from the Easter holiday originated. For example, Ashtoreth "the queen of heaven" was believed to have been hatched from a huge egg which fell into the river Euphrates from Jupiter. Also, according to Teutonic myth, the rabbit was once a bird whom the false god "Eostre (you got it -- Ishtar)" changed into a four-footed creature with the ability to lay eggs. Eggs are also obvious representations of fertility and were also used in lewd orgies dedicated to the false gods Ashtoreth or Baal. I shudder to think if this practice is still in effect but considering "there is no new thing under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9)," I'd venture to say they most likely are. Almost every modern-day pagan will admit to worshipping a "mother goddess" even if alongside a masculine deity.
The so-called "Easter Lily" has an interesting history. Almost every representation of Ashtoreth is a nude woman standing beside or riding a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other. The lily is also symbolic of grace and sex appeal in our culture. Ever hear the term "new Easter suit?" Indeed, it's still modern-day practice to purchase new clothes on this pagan holiday even further driving home the monetary aspects of Easter. According to false myth, the tradition of wearing new clothing for Easter comes from an old superstition that a new garment worn at Easter means good 'luck' throughout the year.
The word "lent" is of Anglo-Saxon origin and it simply means "spring." Lent developed from the ancient pagan celebration of weeping, fasting, and mourning for 40 days over the death of Tammuz, the supposed husband of Ishtar, or Ashtoreth. Pagans claim he was killed by a wild boar and then resurrected. Sound familiar? This ties right into the Easter 'sunrise' verses we just covered a little earlier. It reads; "He brought me to the door of the gate of Yahweh's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 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 (Ezekiel 8:14-15)."
"Hot cross buns" are small cakes bearing a cross-like symbol representing the pair of cow-horns on the moon goddess Isis and were offered by the Greeks to Ashtoreth being called 'bous' or 'boun' from which the English word "bun" is derived. These forbidden cakes are mentioned in great detail in our beloved scriptures as being a part of idol worship, mostly in the books of Kings, Isaiah and Jeremiah. They are still served in our culture as part of "Easter dinner."
Ever wonder how "Good Friday" came to be? Even people with a public school education can count the days between Friday and Sunday and deduct that it's a space of two days, not three like Jesus Christ stated; "For as Jonas [Jonah] 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 (Matthew 12:40)." According to history, the ancient pagans used to offer "hot cross buns" to Ashtoreth on this very day. When Emperor Constantine melded the pagan church 'into' Christianity around 320 a.d. the dates were all shifted to accommodate for his precious 'sun-god.' This includes the dates and holidays that we know as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and the so-called "first day Sabbath" known as Sunday.
Jesus clearly gave his life on the Passover being the "lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8)" and rose on the first day of the week -- what we know today as Sunday. In Mark 16:9 it reads; "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week" and again in John 20:1 it teaches; "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre." For more proofs against this pagan practice see Matthew 27:50-28:7, Mark 15:25-16:6, Luke 23:44-24:8 and John 19:14-20:17. So much for "Good Friday."
At this point in the sermon I think that I've given enough scripture and proofs to defend yourselves against the enemy and search out the entire matter in a diligent self-study. The great thing about pagans is that they're easily disproved. All a worldly person would have to do is go to a dictionary, encyclopedia or library to find out the truth about Easter. Sadly, most people refuse to acknowledge truth and would rather harden their own hearts and continue in sin, or "the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4)."
Easter is also another holiday, like Christmas, that the hypochristians like to use to prove the elect as "evil." In their feeble minds it's 'unchristian' to even suggest that Easter is pagan in nature and truth-seeking Christians will have this attitude projected at them at times in their walk. Now I'd like to focus on some commandments from Yahweh on how our attitudes should be towards false gods or customs. These verses are important to every Christian.
First and foremost; "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)." This verse really needs no explanation, it's pretty self-explanatory. Again, certain preachers even suggesting Christians to "make the most of" this pagan holiday are a contradiction to scripture themselves. Here's another; "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils (1 Corinthians 10:18-21)."
(Intention:)
It's my sincere wish that students will continue in a self-study on this very subject if they are left with any doubts as to the origins of Easter. Like usual, I pray that Jesus Christ gets the honor and His name is glorified, hence this particular sermon against the Easter Bunny, speckled eggs and false gods. It's my hope that the 'barley' will be able to discern for themselves who the 'tares' are and their ancient practices that seemingly creep into modern-day culture unaware to the 'wheat' company. The more serious Bible student will understand what I just said without problem and to the 'dulled' who are blinded by society, it will sound like total nonsense. Peck away!
[ Date:
Wednesday, April 6th,
2005 ]
Last Page Update:
February 08, 2006
Covenant People's Ministry
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