EASTER is another pagan festival
E-a-s-t-e-r and c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s are two of the most widely celebrated religious holidays in the world. These religous holidays have deep roots in pagan traditions, but have been assigned particular religous meanings by most denominations.
No doubt you already know that e-a-s-t-e-r is the name of a common pagan fertility celebration. It is followed nine months later by a pagan birth celebration (c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s) which a pagan rebirth/resurection celebration. The fertility festival is a spring event, as winter passes and the region heads into summer, food becomes abundant. Both of these celebrations have been blended into paganism, dispalcing the Spring Feasts and the Autumn Feasts set out in the Scriptures, and these are key to the Fathers Salvation plan for mankind.
Now I do not wish to debate the reasons that this was done at the time, but acceptance of a pagan deity celebration as being the day to worship the Father, and as key markers in the Fathers Salvation Plan, is not right. It is demeaning the Father and His Salvation Plan by placing Him lower than a pagan false deity celebration. If you are a believer, your choice is to honour a false deity, or to Follow the Fathers Feasts that honour the Father and His Salivation plan.
Pagan origin of the e-a-s-t-e-r festival
Before believers celebrated the resurrection of the Messiah, ancient pagans observed the spring equinox as the return of the sun g-o-d and as a fertility ritual, celebrating resurrection of life and a new life.
There are a number of false deities that are celebrated at the vernal equinox. This was an important time for people as it signaled the days starting to get longer in the country they lived in. That is, rebirth, and food growing and the climate becoming warmer.
Some people believe that e-a-s-t-e-r takes its name from a festival of a pagan goddess e-o-s-t-r-e from Anglo-Saxon England who was described in a book by the eighth-century English monk Bede in his work titled De temporum ratione ("The Reckoning of Time") – note that there is dispute amongst scholars on the authenticity of Bede.
Others believe that German festival called Ostern, celebrating the goddess o-s-t-a-r-a. This false deity was a goddess of spring or renewal and that's why her feast is attached to the vernal equinox which occurs about, but not exactly at, the same time as the Messiahs crucifixion which was the Spring Feasts.
No matter what the derivation, e-a-s-t-e-r was celebrated in pagan worship in one form or another, and this pagan festival predated the Messiahs crucifixion. In those times, peoples understanding was limited to the patterns of nature, and in this case it was a festival of resurrection of nature after winter. It was adopted into the Scriptures, but in doing so, it diminishes the importance of the Messiahs sacrifice, by merging the Messiahs sacrifice and the Fathers Salvation Plan into a pagan celebration.
The e-a-s-t-e-r bunny and e-a-s-t-e-r eggs
As the bringer of light after a long dark winter, o-s-t-a-r-a was often depicted with the hare, an animal that represents the arrival of spring as well as the fertility of the season which leads on to the tradition of the e-a-s-t-e-r bunny. In Christian art, the hare (and the related rabbit) is regularly associated with rebirth and resurrection. Leviticus 11:6 states that the hare is an unclean animal: “The hare, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you.”. The significance of the rabbit at e-a-s-t-e-r is closely connected to its historical use as a symbol of fertility as e-a-s-t-e-r falls in spring, a time of rebirth and new life, as flowers start to bloom and baby animals are born.
Some also believe that the e-a-s-t-e-r egg has pagan roots. E-a-s-t-e-r eggs are actually the product of the e-a-s-t-e-r bunny, a mythical creature who delivered eggs to children. The modern-day rabbit comes from the 17th-century folkloric Osterhase, a German egg-laying hare. Today, the e-a-s-t-e-r bunny brings chocolate eggs and hides them for children to find. Some church doctrine excuse the ritual of giving eggs to children as representing new life, birth of the Messiah. But this, again, is simply fitting the Fathers Salvation Plan, and the Messiah, into a pagan ritual.
It is unthinkable that the hare, rabbit or eggs ever did, or should, play any part in our remembrance or celebration of the Spring Feasts. The acceptance of this in church rituals must be an absolute abhorrence to the Father. If the church/denomination that you attend keeps this pagan ritual, you should leave that church as it is bending the Scriptures. You should study and celebrate the Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Wave Offering as set out in the Scriptures.
Date of the Spring Feasts
The date of e-a-s-t-e-r is usually not far from the true date for Passover, but the is different in the Hebrew calendar. The detail of the Feasts set out in the Scriptures are very different to what is taught by most churches/denominations who stop simply with the pagan celebration.
The current dates used throughout the world were determined by Constantine in AD 325. The First Council of Nicaea was a council of christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Bursa province, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. One of the outcomes of this council was a decision that all “christian congregations” regarded e-a-s-t-e-r to be a Sunday in a lunar month chosen according to man-made criteria. That is, it is always on the same day of the week. Reasons at the time for this may have been to ease pagan converts into faith, and perhaps create less disruption to work by aligning the dates of the two different festivals.
However, Sunday is the first day of the week. According to the Scriptures, the first day of the week after the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the Wave Sheaf offering Feast (Leviticus 23:9-14). This particular day has particular meaning as the new harvest (us) has been consecrated to, and accepted by, the Father. Now that is a far cry from e-a-s-t-e-r bunnies.
Prior to A.D. 325, Passover was variously celebrated on different days of the week following the Hebrew calendar, exactly following the actual Feast days set out in Scriptures. However, Constantine changed the dates and times, and aligned the date of the Spring Feasts to be the same as the dates of the pagan festivals (that followed the solar calendar) by issuing the e-a-s-t-e-r rule.
This rule states that e-a-s-t-e-r shall be celebrated on the first Sunday that occurs after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox, or first day of spring. It essentially says that, e-a-s-t-e-r must be celebrated on a Sunday between the dates of March 22 and April 25, its date is tied to the lunar cycle.
This date has little to do with the date of the actual Spring Feasts, but despite that, most denominations choose to worship the Messiahs resurection on the pagan festival day to this time. There is overwhelming evidence that this practice is incorrect and that the day is actually a pagan false deity worship date. This practice demotes and disassociates the honour, respect and remembrance of the Messiahs death and resurrection, and the Fathers Salvation Plan intended for us.
Most denominations and church teachers will tell you that forgetting the Fathers Feast days, and replacing these with pagan false deity worship days, is OK. They will tell you that man has the authority to choose the dates to remember the Messiahs resurrection and celebration. This is false teaching at its worst, it is extremely disrespectful, it reminds me of Matthew 15:8 and Isaiah 29:13
Isaiah 29:13 And Yahuah says, “Because this people has drawn near with its mouth, and with its lips they have esteemed Me, and it has kept its heart far from Me, and their fear of Me has become a command of men that is taught!
This raises the questions, why choose to blend worship of the Father and the Messiah with paganism and witchcraft and why do we remember and celebrate the same date of a pagan deity but leave out the parts of significance from the Torah?
It seems ironic that a pagan festival and pagan traditions of eggs became a symbol for the death of the Messiah, the atonement of our sins, and the resurrection of the Messiah. The modern practice of chocolate bunnies and e-a-s-t-e-r eggs serve as a reminder of e-a-s-t-e-r's ancient origins and pagan traditions, and not the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah. This, and c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s shows just how far society, and denominations and religous teaching has moved from the Scriptures.
So, you may ask why the name of a pagan festival, with nothing to do with the Messiahs death and resurrection, is mentioned in the King James Version since 1611? It is in Acts 12:4 and it is a very clear translation error. How many other errors are there in translations that impact what people believe in? There a number of critical errors in many translations that misguide people, where translations are bent to suit the views of the translator, and the doctrine of the denomination that uses the translation. If it is a simple error, why has this particular mis-translation never been questioned or corrected? There must be more to the use of this word than we understand. After all, anyone who reads the Scriptures, and follows history and archaeology (as teachers should do) should know that e-a-s-t-e-r is nothing to do with the Fathers Salvation Plan. If you have a King James translation, look it up.
Acts 12:4 And when he had apprehended him, 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 truth is, e-a-s-t-e-r is just another clever alternate setup by our enemy to distract potential believers from the truth in the Scriptures. It strips the power of Scripture and the Fathers Salvation Plan from people’s consciousness and changes how the understand and interpret the world around them. It is not what feels right to you or to other people, but what is stated in the Scriptures that must be taught.
Do you refer to the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah as the pagan festival name and give eggs as happened in a pagan tradition? Or do you remember the Spring Feasts, the Messiahs crucifixion and resurrection as the Scriptures tell us to do.
If teaching twists the Scriptures to fit pagan traditions, then that teaching is in error. To be clear, worship and belief in the Father, Son and Set Apart Spirit has nothing to do with e-a-s-t-e-r. Remember the case of Nadab and Abihu, starting in Leviticus 10:1. Nadab and Abihu substituted pagan fire with the Temple fire with disastrous results, they should not have done that as fire represents the presence of the Father. But e-a-s-t-e-r is also displacing the presence of the Father and his Salvation plan, replacing it with a false deity worship day.
Ancient Israel made this same type of error over and over again with disastrous consequences, we should learn from those examples. The Scriptures are clear, the Father will not tolerate any paganism in Worship or belief. If you want a personal relationship with the Father, you need to follow his Word, it is not what is comfortable or sounds right that matters, it is what the Father has set out in Scripture that is right
The Messiahs crucifixion and resurrection and ascension to the Father aligns with the Spring Feasts, not with pagan festivals. So why do denominations not teach the actual events in the Fathers Salvation Plan set out in the Feasts in the Old Testament? The
Most denomination have adopted good Friday as the day of the crucifixion, the following Sunday for the Messiahs resurrection, and e-a-s-t-e-r Monday. The same goes for the other pagan ritual festival on 25 December (the sun false deity rebirth ritual – which again has a 3 day resurrection period) which many churches celebrate with nativity songs and festivals as the birth date of the Messiah (but that is for another session (refer to CHRISTMAS – pagan festival). (FYI - note that this pagan festival is about 3 months after what the correct season for the birth of the Messiah).
Does your denomination keep e-a-s-t-e-r and c-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s. Do you normalise these pagan festivals into peoples understanding? Why not teach the truth? The Spring Feasts foretold the Messiahs sacrifice, resurrection and ascension to the Father, it was the end of the requirement for blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin, the acceptance by the Father of the new harvest, and signaled the start of the Father Salvation Plan. It was the start of a renewed covenant with mankind, it has nothing to do with pagan false deities, rabbits, or eggs.
The Fathers Salvation plan for mankind is set out in the Fathers Spring Feasts, Autumn Feasts and Annual Holy Days. These Feasts were kept by the early church, the Messiah and the disciples – remember, the New Testament did not exist in the form that we have it now, (until about 300 AD) – the Scriptures that early believers studied and followed, was actually the Old Testament.
The Messiah delivered many messages to the pharisees about providing false information in their teaching on the Torah. This false information can influence decision-making by shaping beliefs and attitudes, which in turn can impact the way individuals perceive and interpret the Scriptures. The pharisees false information compromised peoples understanding, disqualifying people from Salvation. The Messiah warned them that greater judgement follows false teaching.
Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive greater judgment.
Have you opened your mind to the Scriptures? Have you taken a step in faith and received spiritual sight? It is not until a true believer takes a step in faith that they receive spiritual sight, the veil covering their spiritual eyes is torn as was the Temple curtain at the messiahs death. A step in faith is something the Messiah repeated throughout the Gospels as a requirement for healing. My favourite being the beggar receiving his sight when in obedience to the Messiah, he took his step in faith by going to the pool of Siloam and washing. The beggar believed in the Messiah, was obedient to the Messiahs instruction, and was healed. We too can receive our spiritual sight by calling on the Father in the Messiahs name, and taking a step in faith by being set apart from the world. For me, my step in faith was when I realised that my education and culture was the barrier to forming a relationship with the Father.
Paul also discussed false teaching in 2 Peter when false teaching was being introduced into the early church.
2 Peter 2:1 But there also came to be false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall secretly bring in destructive heresies, and deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 And many shall follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, 3 and in greed, with fabricated words, they shall use you for gain. From of old their judgment does not linger, and their destruction does not slumber.
Teaching people to follow pagan festivals, and even applying the pagan festival names to the Fathers Feasts is a destructive heresy. And so is calling on a title, or the name of false deities, for Salvation – the message in the Scripture is be set apart for the Father. Have nothing to do with pagan practices.
We need to study and understand the Fathers Salvation plan set out in the Feasts. But most churches have a doctrine that requires its members to follow. Following that doctrine may include following the pagan festivals, members are blinded to the Feasts and the Fathers Salvation plan.
As we head into the Spring Feasts, you should be mindful that pagan worship, no matter how infinitesimal, has no place in any believing denomination. The facts contained in the Scriptures is very different to what most denominations teach and celebrate. The challenge for you is to set all elements of paganism and doctrine aside and believe, speak and teach the pure message of Salvation as set out in the Scriptures. Do not celebrate e-a-s-t-e-r. Please, celebrate the Spring Feasts.
Remember the lesson for us all in Leviticus 10:1 where Nadab and Abihu approached the sanctuary with false fire, they were approaching the sanctuary in a manner that they were instructed not to, and died. If we think that we, or anyone else can approach the Father in a manner other than that set out in Scripture, we will also die, spiritually and physically.
John 4:16 The Messiah said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think you possess everlasting life in them. And these are the ones that bear witness of Me. 40 “But you do not desire to come to Me in order to possess life. 41 “I do not receive esteem from men, 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of Aluah in you. 43 “I have come in My Father’s Name and you do not receive Me, if another comes in his own name, him you would receive. 44 “How are you able to believe, when you are receiving esteem from one another, and the esteem that is from the only Aluah you do not seek? 45 “Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, in whom you have set your expectation. 46 “For if you believed Moses, you would have believed Me, since he wrote about Me. 47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how shall you believe My words?
In the Scriptures, we read the statement many times, “call on my name”. The use of the word “Name” is important. A note - we must recognise the dual meaning of the word "Name" here. Not only did the Messiah come by His Father's authority, but He also came in His Father's literal written and spoken Name. This is proven when we understand the Messiah's Hebrew name includes “Salvation" and is referred to in Isaiah. Do not underestimate the power of the true Name. Call on my Name, be baptised in the Name of the Father, Son and Set Apart Spirit is an instruction given to us in the Scriptures. It may sound foolishness to you because of what you have been taught. This is part of the mask that the world and false doctrine has placed on your understanding.
The name used in most Scripture translations of “Jesus” has nothing to do with the Hebrew or Aramaic name of the Messiah, names were very important in the Hebrew culture. There was not, and still is not a “J” in the Hebrew alphabet, that name has no translation back into Hebrew. The Messiah was given a Hebrew name - but that is for another debate. We cannot go to the Father except through the Messiah (John 4:16). Many will think that they are following the right path and doctrine, but the key is to follow the Scriptures. Key verse is in Matthew 7:22
Matthew 7:22 “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ 23 “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’
In the process of revealing His plan of salvation for mankind, the Father established the Spring Feasts and His annual Holy Days around the harvest seasons in the Middle East (Leviticus 23:9-16, Exodus 23:14-16). The Feasts have meanings that build upon each other. Together they progressively reveal how the Fathers salvation plan works with humanity. The Feasts were given to us so people could understand the first and second coming of the Messiah and the role that the Messiah would play in redeeming and restoring both man and the earth, and the second coming of the Messiah.
Just as His people harvested their crops around the seasons, the Father's Feast Days show us how He is harvesting people for eternal life in His Kingdom. All Scripture must align, the dates for the Spring Feasts cannot possibly align with the view that the Messiah was crucified on a Friday.
I have prepared an outline of the true story of the Messiahs crucifixion and resurrection and his ascension to the father, setting out the key dates, evidence and reasons for those dates. The Spring Feasts set out a story of love and salvation. The Messiah fulfilled totally the Spring Feasts, He ended the requirement for sacrifice for the atonement for sins, and introduced a renewed covenant for mankind. The facts and Scriptures set this out, I have set these out in the web pages “The Messiahs Crucifixion”, “3 days and 3 nights”, “Keeping the Feasts”’ and “Fulfillment of the Spring Feasts”.
The fourteenth day of Nisan (Abib) begins the Passover, which is followed on the fifteenth of Nisan with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is a High Sabbath. The day following the weekly Sabbath (first day of the week – Sunday) during Passover is called the Feast of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-14). According to the Scriptures, the Messiah was crucified at 9am on the fourteenth day of Nisan. On the year that the Messiah was crucified, this had to be three days and three nights before the Feast Day of First Fruits or the Scripture do not align.
A long stretch from e-a-s-t-e-r Friday and absolutely nothing to do with rabbits or eggs so I hope that your services do not include any of these. Are you holding a worship service or hold services on the pagan festival days and not the Fathers Salvation Plan days?
The dates that the Messiah was crucified align with the Spring Feasts set out in the Fathers salvation plan for us. Teaching that it aligns with a pagan festival, and honouring that pagan festival, is stripping the power of the Scriptures, adding and subtracting from Scripture, and is just another example of teaching introducing paganism and magic to believers. It is compromising people’s beliefs and legitimising pagan worship.
So, what do you teach? Do you introduce paganism into your teaching instead of honouring the Scriptures? Do you teach the Salvation plan set out in the Feasts and remember the Feasts? Do you endorse giving eggs and include a rabbit in this picture of salvation? Do you teach that the Messiahs birth date was at 25 December (Winter and not Autumn in Israel) – which is an alignment with a pagan birth ritual (9 months after the pagan fertility ritual)? Or do you teach the true birth date of the Messiah that had to within the Fathers Autumn Feast Day. But more importantly, will you take your step in faith, stop compromising your teaching and guiding people to pagan festivals? If you would like a document that sets out the historical sequence of events, feel free to email us. I can send you information – it is a massive and very important subject.
The following table sets out the Spring Feasts and the High Sabbath days. More information is available on the web pages “The Hebrew Calendar” and “Feast Dates”.
Web site last updated 11 February 2023
