The reason I put this study here, along with any other, is as an easy explanation of why I keep easter the way I do and to provoke thought within others. Before you read this, you may be interested in the article on the day of the death of Y'shua (High Day) and The Whore.
First, let's look at the pagan claim of easter.
We know easter as an early spring festivities and, as I mentioned earlier, the festivities of easter is found in Scripture. Because of the history of easter, it would not have been foreign to the people in the land of Israel. The time is filled with imagery relating to life, death, and resurrection. Let’s look at two of the top Christian Bible dictionaries and see how they define easter:
Easter: Originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honor of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek paskha (the Passover). When the authorized version (1611) was formed, the word “Passover” was used in all passages in which this word paskha occurred, except in Acts 12:4. In th eRevised Version the proper word, “Passover” is always used. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary).
... intending after Easter - rather, ‘after the Passover’; that is, after the whole festival was over. (The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of later date, and ought not to have been employed here). (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Jamiesson, Faucett and Brown), Acts 12:4)
The commentary of Jamiesson, Faucett and Brown is talking about Acts 12:4 when the King James Version of the Bible mistranslated Pascha to easter rather than Passover. So we see that the word “easter” should not have been used. Why would that be? Today most everyone thinks that easter has something to do with the death of Christ. Atheist even fight against days like this.
The Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that easter was the name of a Saxon goddess, named ester, and this name was APPLIED to the resurrection of Yeshua.
It was the catholic church that changed the name and the date and I would like to see what they say in regards to easter.
The English term, according to the Venn. Bead (De tempo rum rationed, I, v), relates to Ester, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of the day and spring, which deity, howver, is otherwise unknown, even in the Eddo (Smock, Mythoi., 362); Anglo-Saxon, Easter, Easton; Old High German, rostra, strata, stratum; German, Astern. April was called easter-monadh...”
“Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, colored red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. “The symbolic meaning of a new creation of mankind by Jesus risen from the dead was probably an invention of later times. The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. Easter eggs, the children are told, come from Rome with the bells which on Thursday go to Rome and return Saturday morning.” (Catholic Encyclopedia)
So, the catholic encyclopedia clearly states that many facets of its easter celebrations were derived from paganism; yet, most “christian” movements till follow their “mother church” by using the detestable name of easter and practicing fertility rites. It's the practicing fertility rites that introduces eggs and bunnies into the easter story practiced all across America and beyond. Most of you know the birds and bees so we're not going to get into why bunnies and eggs.
So, it's well established that easter did start as a pagan day. Didn't I mention that easter is in the Bible, other than the mistranslation in Acts 12:4? Absolutely, this celebration is all over the Bible, including commingling this day with Passover.
The name Eostre / Ester transliterated into Hebrew is Astarte / Ishtar, a pagan fertility goddess who is also known as Asherah and Ashtoreth in the Bible. Ashtoreth is a moon goddess. The moon was linked with fertility; Ashtoreth was Baal / Molech’s partner. The different names are derived from the different people groups that worshiped this goddess. Let's look at a couple dictionaries on Ashtoreth and Asherah.
Ashtoreth: The moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity (Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4: 12:10). These names often occur in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either different statues or different modifications of the deities. The deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks (Jeremiah 44:17; 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of th egreat deities of the Asyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte. Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33). Jezebel’s 400 priest were probably employed in its service (1 Kings 18:19). It was called the “queen of heave” (Jeremiah 44:25). (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)
Asherah, and pl. Asherim in Revised Versions, instead of “grove” and “groves” of the Authorized Version. This was the name of the sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyran Ishtar. It’s symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of it’s boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols (“groves”) are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Exodus 34:13; Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 23:6; 1 Kings 16:33; etc). These images were also sumetimes made of sliver or of carved stone (2 Kings 21:7; “the graven image of Asherah,” RSV). (See GROVE [1]).(Easton’s Dictionary)
Ashera(h): “groves (for idol worship)” a Babylonian (Astarte) - Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal... sacred trees or poles set up near an altar. (Brown, Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon)
Ok, now that your mind is spinning, not from understanding it's a pagan day but trying to follow what these definitions are saying. It's like reading something from a lawyer. Let's look at some uses in the Bible.
15 For the YHWH shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the YHWH to anger.
1 Kings 14:15
23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
1 Kings 14:23
19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
1 Kings 18:19
1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.
2 Chronicles 31:1
9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he makes all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
Isaiah 27:9
14 And I will pluck up your groves out of the midst of you: so will I destroy your cities.
Micah 5:14
There are many more passages: Exodus 34:13; Deut 7:5; 12:3; 16;21; Judges 6:25, 26, 28, 30; 1 Kings 15:13; 16:33; 2 Kings 17:10, 16; 18:4; 21:3, 7; 23:4, 6, 7, 14, 15; 2 Chronicles 14:3; 15:16; 17:6; 9:3; 24:18; 33:3, 19; Isaiah 17:8
It is clear, there is an easter festival talked about in the Scriptures; and it’s clearly an abomination unto Adonai and the Messiah. Seeing these poles, we then understand what another popular passage is saying (Jeremiah 10:1-11). This passage is usually related to the christmas holiday but we see clearly that it’s referring to easter.
This pagan goddess got her power from her male counterpart, Baal has a festival of his own under his other title Molech:
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the YHWH his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom (Molech or Baal) the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the YHWH, and went not fully after the YHWH, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
1 Kings 11:4-8
What did God do to those who followed these practices? It was not good.
You may be asking, "You're painting a bad picture about easter, didn't you say it was in the Bible where the gentile people commingled the two holidays of Passover (eating of unleavened bread) and easter (groves).
He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts. 6 He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the LORD, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.
8 Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the gateway at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which was on the left of the city gate. 9 Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
10 He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek.
2 Kings 23:6-10
When we look at this passage, we see the priests eating their unleavened bread (Passover meal) while they were also burning incense to Baal (sun) and erected asherah poles (moon). Is this any different than churches who KNOW the truth of the pagan day of easter and KNOW when our Messiah was actually sacrificed yet they commingle the two days? Is practicing the games of fertility rites like egg hunts and bunnies any different than practicing the rites of burning incense? It appears the church is falling into the same sin of Israel.
When we look at the church atmosphere in our day we see the church adopting worldly practices into the church. From extremes of including the LBGT… movement to introductions of small worldly practices, the churches are giving into the world rather than being a light to the world. It's causing an upheaval in the church and many are denouncing the practices. This commingling of the two is not new.
Like the times talking about in the books of the Kings, early christianity had transferred pagan rites, including the very name, of the pagan celebration into the resurrection of the Messiah. To top that off, the christians dishonor the Jewish Messiah by putting a “traditional” ham on their tables. With the Bible is clearly calling for a separation of God’s people from the pagans, their worship from pagan worship, and shows destruction of those who do not separate and even commingle the two; this is a clear and defiant demonstration of disrespect towards Y'shua. While christians talk about the defiance of Israel in those times, and condemn the commingling of the world into the church today, they paint a picture of these actions being acceptable behavior for Christians. Christ-ian means to be Christ like but easter and its pagan trappings are entirely against the Messiah.
This is not just Old Testament teachings.
Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness,
O house of Israel?
43 You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon.'
Acts 7:42-43
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 "LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Romans 11:1-5
And in the last book of the Bible, the one talking about the end yet to come:
14 But I have a few things against you, because you hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15 So hast you also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent; or else I will come unto you quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 2:14-16
Notice that this is a church who is compromising paganism with christianity, and Yeshua does not like it.
19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1 Corinthians 10:19-22
The note to see in 1 Corinthians is that anything pertaining to idols, to these pagan gods, is actually demonic. It's practicing ceremonial rites to demons.
The most common response to this understanding is, "While this is true, I don't see this day like this". If the world survives, I wonder what the response will be on a study like this about the LBGT's in the church will be. In fact, we're seeing a lot of similar types of excuses already today.
The fact is, Messiah Y'shua said to the pharisees, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains" (John 9:41). It would be one thing if a church, the people, or the pastor was blind to the truth of easter and passover but in many cases they are not. Since they are not blind, they are not guiltless. This is the danger I find in the following of this day.
The earliest record of christians celebrating easter is in connection with the visit of Polycarp (the bishop of Smyrna) to Anicetus (the bishop of Rome) in 154-155 AD, for the purposes of maintaining Passover observance. Polycarp was a disciple of John. He was known to have discourse with the original disciples of Yeshua and was a faithful follower of Christ for 86 years. Polycarp represented the ancient observance of Passover through the night of the fourteenth of Nisan, which is both the Old and New Testament Passover, regardless of what day of the week it might fall on our calendar. Anicetus argued for a new calendar that would cause easter to always fall on a sunday. By changing the original date for Passover, which Christ and all the disciples followed, the post-apostolic founders of the church used a syncretistic effort to bring paganism into the pews, which is clearly the work of anti-christ.
I don't believe God has changed. What He considered detestable then He considers detestable now. Just because He sent His Son to die for our sins does not mean He looks over the very practices of this day that caused Him to call Israel whores and harlots. In fact, I believe this commingling, along with other practices of the modern church, was prophesied about in Revelation 17.
Messiah Y'shua, our groom, is coming for a pure bride and yet, it appears, we're sleeping with another before the wedding party and claiming it's a celebration to the Groom.
The reason I reject easter is because My God loves me and gave me a day of celebration, Passover, to where He came in flesh and offered Himself as a sacrifice for me. He died for me, not eostre. There is a reason He picked Passover, there's a reason for that period of time, and I feel I'm scoffing off His gift for another when I celebrate easter instead of Passover.