Easter or Passover: Which Will You Keep This Year And Why?

As Easter and Passover approach, Americans are poised to give up some of their God-given, unalienable rights and freedoms, if Health Care Reform is allowed to be forced upon this nation in opposition to the U.S. Constitution.

 
It is more than ironic, that during the time of year God ordained, throughout our generations, for us to focus on Redemption, Deliverance, and Sanctification; we are actually looking at losing some of the very freedoms and blessings God Almighty gave to our forefathers... and we ourselves are rightly to blame!
 
In the spirit of the Patriarchs, and our Founding Fathers, let us together humble ourselves before our Great God. Let us then prayerfully take a brutally honest look at what the Bible says about Easter and Passover, and their meanings to both a Holy God and Americans today. Only when we begin to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, will we also be given discernment to see the Truth and the Lies in our own Government, and in the words of the men and women we elect to do the People's business.
 
What Does The Bible Actually Say About Easter And The  Passover?
 
Did God replace Passover With Easter after Christ's Death? Reading the answer in the Scriptures, for yourself, may surprise you.
 
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9)
 
Americans have become distressed, watching those whom we have elected to government office, follow their own ways and their own rules; instead of honoring their oath of allegiance, and being governed by the Constitution and the rule of law. How much more should Christians be obligated to follow the Word of God as written in the Bible and the personal example of Jesus Christ?
 
"...that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8:3)
 
"And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:4)
 
Joe Kovacs, executive news editor for WorldNetDaily, a leading internet news site, has written a recent best seller titled, "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" (www.shockedbythebible.com).
In a recent interview regarding his book, Joe said, "Most have no idea why they believe certain things. They go to church for 30 or 40 years and still don't know why they do certain things. I want to educate people on what's in the Bible and what's not."
 
If Easter is not in the Bible, why do a billion people continue to celebrate it?
 
On the subject of Easter and Passover, Joe tells it like the Bible says: "The word Easter is not found in most Bibles. It's found once in the King James Version (Acts 12:4) and that one instance is a mistranslation of the Greek word Pascha, which means Passover.
 
You will find people celebrating Passover throughout the Bible, including Jesus. But you won't find people celebrating Easter. The word Easter comes from an ancient fertility goddess. It's spelled in different ways but usually pronounced "Easter" or something like it.
 
For instance, the Babylonians called her Ishtar. The Phoenicians worshipped their goddess Astarte. The Germans had Ostara. The Hebrews called her Ashtoreth. This is all the same goddess, and God condemned the Israelites for having anything to do with this pagan goddess of fertility and the dawn.
 
People wonder why they color eggs and go on Easter egg hunts when none of that is in the Bible or endorsed by God. You don't see the apostles going on Easter egg hunts or hiding eggs. There was no Easter egg in the tomb when they looked for Jesus at His resurrection. The eggs and rabbits associated with Easter are simply ancient fertility symbols. Traditional Christianity today is a mixture of a little bit of the Bible and a whole lot of pagan, heathen traditions which have infiltrated church teachings and practices."
 
How might God view the keeping of Easter, and why?
 
Joe answers, "There's no question that Easter is an abomination to God. People can say they are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, but they are using the method of pagan worship.
 
God has nothing to do with paganism. In fact, the first commandment is "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). Yet people bring the name of Easter in front of God's face, even as they are allegedly trying to worship Him. People think they are doing the right thing.
 
I'm not against people for wanting to honor the resurrection of Jesus and God raising Jesus from the dead, which shows us how we can be saved and how we can be resurrected into the actual family of God. But to do so with a pagan method is the wrong way to do it."
 
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." -Winston Churchill
 
In a modern world gone crazy, and in present day America when so many are trying to hide or destroy the truth of our awesome Christian heritage, should we not adhere strongly to the Rock of Truth and God's Word?
 
Are We Celebrating A Holiday That Clearly Isn't Found In The Bible, While Ignoring A Holy Observance That Is In The Scriptures?
 
It's a good question with a curious answer.
 
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35)
 
The Bible clearly shows that Jesus, a Jew, observed the Passover with His closest disciples and actually instructed them, and us, to continue to keep it until His return (Matthew 26:17-29).
 
We can read how the apostle Paul explicitly told church members in the Greek port city of Corinth (most of whom were new Christians, and were not, or had never been Jewish) to observe the Passover as a reminder and memorial of Jesus Christ's death (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
 
Even the Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges that Jesus and His apostles never celebrated Easter, observing instead the seventh day Sabbath and the annual festivals of God, including Passover, all listed in Leviticus 23 and mentioned in many other places in Scripture (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol.5, 1967, p.867, "Early Christian Feasts").
 
Many have heard of the pagan origins of Easter, but simply dismiss any concerns over this, because now we use this ancient sunrise service to honor the resurrection. However, the Bible clearly states that God wants to be worshipped according to the way He instructs us in the Scriptures (see Deuteronomy 12:1-4 /28-32). God could not be any clearer that He hates these abominations.
 
To Be Clear:
 
The Holy Day of Easter cannot be found in Scripture.
Easter was never instituted by God.
Easter was never sanctioned by Jesus Christ.
Easter was never taught by Christ's apostles.
Easter was never observed by the early New Testament Church.
 
The Bible clearly shows that a fundamental part of the Easter celebration, that Jesus rose at sunrise on Sunday morning, is a fallacy disproved by the Bible. Jesus was already resurrected and gone from the tomb well before sunrise! Read John 20:1-15 for yourself. Mary Magdalene went to Jesus' tomb while it was still dark, before the sun had risen, the stone had already been rolled away, revealing an empty tomb!
 
Continue along in verses 11-17, Jesus addresses Mary in His own unique way. Immediately, she recognizes Jesus' voice and realizes who He is. Remember, it was still not daylight yet. There was no group of people waiting for the sun to rise in order to honor Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Even John's account (remember, he and Peter were the first two apostles to come to the tomb) plainly shows that Jesus was not resurrected at sunrise on Sunday morning.
 
Read it again in Matthew 28:1-7. Matthew confirms it was beginning to dawn, and still dark outside; and the angel told them that Christ had already risen!
 
The Sign of Jonah: Proves Jesus Is The Messiah, Disproves A Sunday Morning Resurrection:
 
Good Friday-Easter Sunday: It Didn't Happen That Way! Do you remember when you learned that Santa Claus wasn't real? Guess what? Good Friday and a Sunday resurrection aren't either. Discover the real story from the pages of the Bible itself!
 
Jesus Christ said that he would spend three days and three nights in the tomb (Matthew 23:39-40), as Jonah had spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish. This statement from Jesus alone disproves another myth about Easter, that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and resurrected on Easter Sunday. Try as you might, there is no way to fit three days and three nights between a late Friday burial and a Sunday morning resurrection.
 
Many well meaning Bible readers are so blinded by man-made religious traditions that they cannot see Christ's true Gospel. Jesus Christ even tells us:
 
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
 
When we weigh Easter in the balance, it is clearly found wanting. It isn't found in Scripture, the way it is celebrated conflicts with basic biblical facts, and it is directly traceable to ancient pre-Christian pagan practices.
 
In contrast, what can we learn about the Passover? Should You Keep the Festivals Jesus Observed?

 
Jesus observed the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles and the other festivals that God gave to Israel. Should you follow His example? Are those sacred festivals still applicable for Christians today?
 
Passover: A memorial of Jesus' death on our behalf.
 
Paul explained that Jesus is our Passover who shed His sinless blood to cover the sins of humankind (1 Corinthians 5:7). He wrote that Jesus Himself explained the meaning of the Passover symbols of unleavened bread and wine-that they represent His body bruised and broken for us and His blood, shed to pay the penalty for our sins.
 
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'
"In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
 
Paul's clear teaching is that Jesus' death is symbolized by the Passover, and we who accept His shed blood should no longer live in sin, giving in to the lusts of our selfish nature. We are most certainly saved by grace through faith, but we are also required to honor God by our works, based on God's Ten Commandments (Ephesians 2:8-10; Matthew 19:17). Faith must be accompanied by works, for faith without works is dead (James 2:14, 17, 24, 26).
 
The Passover has great meaning for Christians, being as current and relevant today as it was when Jesus instituted its symbols and told His followers, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17).
 
Summing up the comparisons:
 
Finally, let's review how Easter and Passover compare and differ.
 
Jesus observed the Passover, not Easter, with His apostles, instructing them to continue to observe it and teach it to the Church and declaring that when He returns, He will observe it again with His true followers (Matthew 26:26-29).
 
Easter, even the very name, finds its origins in the worship of an ancient fertility goddess (1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13). She was worshipped in many ancient nations, which helps explain the origins of the Easter egg, a fertility symbol associated with this goddess (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, 1959, p. 103, 109).
 
Regardless of how many well-meaning people celebrate Easter, they cannot legitimize a religious holiday that doesn't represent or belong to Christ. If a billion people do something wrong, it's still wrong.
 
The command to observe Passover is one of the inexorable laws of God, given to human beings to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ, in spirit and truth (Matthew 26:17-29; John 4:23-24).
 
Passover entails God "passing over" human beings in meting out the justice of death for people's sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Peter 1:18-19). God passed over Israel when He sent the death angel to kill all the firstborn of the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:27), which is a type of what He does for Christians today. Passing over Israel spared the lives of their firstborn; passing over Christians spares the "church of the firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23), ultimately freeing them from death.
 
Jesus then is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Christians keep Christ's Passover festival because it reminds them that if it weren't for the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we would surely die-forever. Jesus shed His blood for humanity, and those who accept His shed blood, while following God's holy and righteous law (Romans 7:12), are promised an abundant life now and everlasting life later.
 
With God, timing and meaning are important. God is always on time, and He does nothing without life-giving meaning. Easter does neither.
 
Easter is a widely known man-made tradition. It stands against the true Jesus Christ and His teachings. Such departure from what He taught came early in Church history. The apostle Paul wrote to certain Christians, lamenting, "For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted-you may well put up with it!" (2 Corinthians 11:4). Many still do!
 
Remember that sin is the breaking of God's laws. The observance of Easter is contrary to God's laws (Deuteronomy 12:29-32); Passover observance is part of God's law (Leviticus 23:1-5).
 
Elijah demanded of the Israelites, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21). Though God is patient, He commands all men everywhere to repent of their sins (Acts 17:30).
 
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Neither He, nor God the Father, replaced the Passover with Easter. When you honestly compare and contrast Easter with Passover, there should be no question as to which one God desires you to observe. Are you willing to follow what He says?  
 
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