What is written below opened my eyes when I first read it. The author is a Christian minister who had been a pagan witch and renounced his old beliefs and wanted to make people aware of the truth of what they were celebrating. I have chosen to get rid of all easter items and will not participate in it anymore. There are whole churches that will have nothing to do with easter because they know it does not celebrate the MESSIAH [CHRIST] but HIS enemy. There is plenty of information besides what is below, just Google “truth about easter or pagan origins of easter” and you will find much more.
I personally believe that the MESSIAH [Hebrew word for CHRIST] does not want any celebrations added to what HE said in the New Covenant [Testament]. Look up these verses D’varim [Deuteronomy] 4:2 and 12:32, Mishlei [Proverbs] 30:6, Revelation 22:19. They say not to add to or take away from ELOHIM’S word. In the Tanakh [Old Covenant/Testament], ELOHIM [Hebrew word for GOD] gave detailed information on every Feast and Holy Day HE wanted HIS people to celebrate. But in the New Covenant, there was nothing mentioned of this with the MESSIAH. The closest that comes to it is remembering HIM with partaking of YAH’s [YHVH’S/ADONAI’S/LORD’S] Supper. Scripture shows HIS disciples honored Feast Days set forth from ELOHIM even after the MESSIAH’S death and resurrection, this is also in writings of early men of the church. The links below are very scholarly studies that are intensive. While I believe there is much good information here about the ways of the disciples and the early church and pagan ways, there are a few beliefs expressed that I do not agree with or are unsure about. http://www.cogwriter.com/easter.htm http://www.cogwriter.com/
Remember, the MESSIAH is the LAMB of ELOHIM and HE was given HIS FATHER’S NAME of YHVH [the LORD]. Yochanan [John] 17:11 – “…and I come to you, Holy Father, guard them in Your Name which You have given Me…” Those letters,YHVH, in Hebrew mean “the hand revealed the nail revealed”. Yochanan 3:35 – “The FATHER loves the SON, and has given all into HIS hand.” I love finding out the depths of HIM! Romans 10:13 – “‘For “everyone who calls on the name of YHVH [the LORD] shall be saved”.'” Yo’el [Joel] 2:32 – “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the Name of YHVH [the LORD] shall be delivered [saved].” Sh’mu’el Bet [II Samuel] 22:2-3, “YHVH is my rock and my stronghold and my deliverer. My Elohim is my rock…My Saviour…”. Whenever you read the words “my salvation or my deliverance” in the Tanakh you are reading about the MESSIAH [CHRIST] who was hidden in the old but revealed in the new!!! HE was HIS FATHER’S Gift of Deliverance and Salvation to us!!! See Yochanan 4:10, Tehillim [Psalm] 62:6 and 27:1.
The MESSIAH’S death and resurrection were tied into Pesach [Passover] which is the 14th day of the first month [this month is called Aviv/Abib by the ancient Israelites and Nisan by modern Jews] starting at sunset, and the Festival of Matzah [unleavened bread] which starts on the 15th day of the first month, and the sheaf offering of the First Fruits of the harvest. ELOHIM’S day always started with the evening then the morning – see B’resheet [Genesis] 1:5 – so we are going against HIS way with how we are structuring our days too. Eating unleavened bread lasted from the evening of the 14th to the evening of the 21st, see Sh’mot [Exodus] 12-13, Vayikra [Leviticus] 23: 5-14 and D’varim 16:1-8. The ancient Israelite tradition was that the first day of the first month of their year was determined by the barley ripening and the new moon. Pesach was not celebrated before spring so they used the barley ripening to determine that spring had arrived. The celebration of First Fruits is linked to the MESSIAH’S resurrection. HE died replacing the Passover lamb, HIS body is our unleavened bread from Heaven, and HE is the First Fruit of the New Covenant! Links for a couple of more studies done by others are below. I thought they had good information in them but it does not mean I agree with all their beliefs. http://paulawhite.org/may-your-house-pass-over http://paulawhite.org/first-month-first-things-first-fruits
Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Pagans use full moons, equinoxes and solstices in their worship. It would be much holier to take Pesach [not the night portion when HE and HIS disciples ate the Pesach Supper but the day portion when HE was killed – this would be our next calendar day] and count three days to worship HIS having risen [see Mattityahu 26-28]. I truly believe that if HE wanted easter or even christmas to be celebrated that Elohim would have put it in the Bible in as much detail as HE gave for Pesach and HIS other designated festivals, instead, the Messiah said to “do HIS work”. BTW, Acts 12:4 KJV uses the word “Easter” while some other translations use the word “Passover”.
The MESSIAH was very clear about the works HE wanted us to do for HIM. Get to know the Gospels and the New Covenant intimately and you will know HIM intimately [really the whole Bible because HE is talked about often in the Tanakh too, remember, HE was the WORD of ELOHIM who was made flesh – HE only lived in the flesh a very brief time – besides, knowing the whole Bible gives a much clearer picture of the true FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT]. Some of what HE said: HE wanted us to love YHVH our ELOHIM more than anything or anyone, love each other, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and people in prison, offer hospitality to strangers and the poor, do unto others as you would have done unto you, if you wished to be perfect – sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and follow HIM, bear good fruit for HIM otherwise you would be cut down and cast into the fire [[from Mattityahu [Matthew] 7:19. I highly recommend reading Mattityahu 5 – 7 and Yochanan 14 – 17]], remember HIS Body and HIS Blood that HE gave for our sakes and the New Covenant by partaking of YAH’S [the Lord’s] Supper, when HE washed HIS disciples feet HE reminded us that no one is greater than another and to help keep each other “clean”, and also to go into the world and preach HIS Good News/Gospel so that those who believed and were baptized would be saved and those that did not believe would be condemned [from Mark 16: 15-16].
You can get kids out of the easter “give me candy” mind set and open them up to serving how the MESSIAH wanted by “helping the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, etc”. Have them go visit poor children or children who are sick/dying. Have your kids not only visit with them but also bring them some things of ELOHIM to help them or cheer them up [no stuffed rabbits or eggs or candy more like Biblical books or good wholesome food and also to pray for/with them]. Get them to think about others first instead of themselves by doing service work for the MESSIAH as their way of celebrating HIS having risen from the grave.
Please forward this to others. The MESSIAH always spoke the truth and said that by speaking the truth it would keep you free [satan was the liar]. Remember, the Bible is ELOHIM’S Word. The MESSIAH is the Word of ELOHIM made flesh. If you know ELOHIM’S Word you know HIM. Always discern by what the Bible says. Pray to our FATHER in Heaven for understanding of HIS Word and HIS Truth before reading the Bible or if you have a problem in understanding it, in the Name of HIS SON our Savior and our High Priest who is our only Intercessor to HIS FATHER. ELOHIM the true FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT have always been, are now, and always will be – they are the one true living ELOHIM.
[While I agree with what is posted below, I have not read all studies on this site. There may be content I do not agree with]
The Pagan Origin Of Easter
Easter is a day that is honored by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an “Easter Ham”, decorated eggs and stories about rabbits.
Those who love truth learn to ask questions, and many questions must be asked regarding the holiday of Easter.
Is it truly the day when Jesus arose from the dead? Where did all of the strange customs come from, which have nothing to do with the resurrection of our Saviour?
The purpose of this tract is to help answer those questions, and to help those who seek truth to draw their own conclusions.
The first thing we must understand is that professing Christians were not the only ones who celebrated a festival called “Easter.”
“Ishtar”, which is pronounced “Easter” was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called “Tammuz”, who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.
In those ancient times, there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah’s son named Ham.
Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis.Cush and Semiramis then had a son named him “Nimrod.”
After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful King.
The Bible tells of 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.
That missing part 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.
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.”
Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive.
The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz.
Tammuz was noted to be 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. Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter.
The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig.
Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshipers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son and Spirit.
Ishtar, who was now worshiped as the “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven”, continued to build her mystery religion.
The queen told the worshipers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree, and the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.
She also proclaimed a forty day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz.
During this time, no meat was to be eaten.
Worshipers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and to make the sign of the “T” in front of their hearts as they worshiped.
They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a “T” or cross on the top.
Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made.
It was Ishtar’s Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs.
Ishtar also proclaimed that because Tammuz was killed by a pig, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.
By now, the readers of this tract should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary Christian churches….
The truth is that Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We also know that Easter can be as much as three weeks away from the Passover, because the pagan holiday is always set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Some have wondered why the word “Easter” is in the the King James Bible.
It is because Acts, chapter 12, tells us that it was the evil King Herod, who was planning to celebrate Easter, and not the Christians.
The true Passover and pagan Easter sometimes coincide, but in some years, they are a great distance apart.
So much more could be said, and we have much more information for you, if you are a seeker of the truth.
We know that the Bible tells us in John 4:24, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits,hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon.These are all anti-christ activities!
Satan is a master deceiver, and has filled the lives of well-meaning, professing Christians with idolatry.
These things bring the wrath of God upon children of disobedience, who try to make pagan customs of Baal worship Christian.
You must answer for your activities and for what you teach your children.
These customs of Easter honor Baal, who is also Satan, and is still worshiped as the “Rising Sun” and his house is the “House of the Rising Sun.”
How many churches have “sunrise services” on Ishtar’s day and face the rising sun in the East?
How many will use colored eggs and rabbit stories, as they did in ancient Babylon.
These things are no joke, any more than Judgement day is a joke.
I pray to God that this tract will cause you to search for more truth.
We will be glad to help you by providing more information and by praying for you….
David J. Meyer