The True Meaning of Easter

Ah, yes! This is that day of the year when people dust off their Bibles and head to a local Church (usually Catholic in doctrine), looking forward to their annual reminder of the true Meaning of Easter. But that is not what they are taught. And, No!, Yeshua is not the True Meaning of Easter!

The word Easter appears only once in the KJV at Acts 12:4. It is used there as a translation (rather an anachronistic mistranslation) of the Greek word pascha (Pesach), which is translated correctly as “passover” in the 28 other places where it occurs in the NT. The passage in Acts 12 refers to the seven-day Passover festival (including the Feast of Unleavened Bread). It is reasonably certain that the NT contains no reference to a yearly celebration of the resurrection of the Messiah.

Newer revisions of the KJV consistently translate the word pascha as “passover” in all passages, including (Acts 12:4 (cf. ASV, RSV, NEB). So where does the word “Easter” come from?

The English word “Easter” is derived from the name of a Teutonic (Anglo-Saxon) goddess of spring, “Eostre,” and to have been adapted, by Christians, to its present usage. In her honor sacrifices were offered at the time of the vernal equinox. By the Eighth Century the term came to be applied to the anniversary of Christ’s resurrection.

It was not until the Seventh Century A.D. that the Church became uniform in its observance of the Resurrection. The time agreed upon was the first Sunday following the full moon that comes on or after the vernal equinox (March 21). This allows for a variation in “Easter” dates from March 22 to April 25. Only One Easter

It boggles the mind that church-goers stamped their collective feet and pitched a hissy-fit about Halloween, and collectively got most Churches to at least adopt a “Harvest Theme” as a basis for Christian celebration and participation. But even now, in the Twenty-first Century, we have Christian Churches across the globe allegedly celebrating the apex of Christianity (a.k.a., The Resurrection of Yeshua Messiah), under the banner of EASTER!

And just to show complete indifference to this most glorious of all days, many Churches offer Easter Egg Hunts for the kiddies. How thoughtful and loving (I trust that the sarcasm is obvious). Still, Yeshua is mentioned most reverently, and many eulogize him most eloquently on this, the greatest of days. That is a bit like passing out free cigarettes at a rally to fight lung cancer.

Easter, Colored Eggs, Bunnies (chocolate or otherwise), Chicks (Peeps if you prefer), and Baskets of Shredded Plastic Grass ARE the True Meaning of Easter! Throw in the sacrifice of a bull and Eostre is, indeed, glorified. And those Churches which defer to that culture are sending mixed signals to children...signals that are more strongly reinforced with candy and games than some crazy old wives tale about some guy who was allegedly raised from the dead.

Where is the Church’s moral outrage? Where is the stamping of the collective feet of the Church? How did the Church decide that it is OK to use the Satanic term “Easter,” not just as A means, but as the DEFINITIVE means of celebrating the Resurrection of the Risen Lord Of Glory? By what word magic do we make a Satanic observance pure and clean enough to be utilized in honoring and worshiping the Savior? How dare ANY Christian Church employ the name of Eostre (Easter) as a reference to the Savior of the world being Resurrected from the dead!

And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses. —Leviticus 10:10-11 (AV)

Now, before you make any attempt at begging contextual error by noting that this particular passage is dealing with the Levitical priesthood, I would direct your attention to a couple of New Testament passages: 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:5-6). So, I invite you priests and priestesses to continue reading.

The passage in Leviticus teaches us that priests have a duty to put a difference between what is holy and what is unholy (profane, satanic), and between what is unclean and clean. By merging the Resurrection with “Eostre” (Easter) we are declaring that the Satanically inspired “Eostre” is perfectly holy and clean. Let me ask you this question...”Would you lay chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, and plastic grass at the foot of the cross?” Would you take those items into the empty tomb and place them on the grave clothes?

That passage from Leviticus also teaches us (v. 11) that those same priests and priestesses have a duty to properly teach the children! Children are growing up today as spiritually hollow as those Easter Bunnies, and for good reason, their parents are equally hollow.

Will you be to one to tell the leadership of your Church that we need to get Eostre out of the Church and allow only the Resurrected Lord of Glory a place in the assembly? Will you be the one to put a difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean? Will you be the one, or are you expecting someone else to do that?

If the Church of the Messiah is going to worship him in spirit and in truth, then we must divorce ourselves from Eostre. It is up to you because your neighbor is still out helping his children find the most Easter Eggs. §

Tags: profane

Worshiptainment

The first mention of “worshiptainment” I am aware of was almost a decade ago. Worshiptainment is the co-mingling of worship and entertainment. With the rock concert atmosphere, lights, and enthusiastic approval, Worshiptainment is a self-centered and industrious undertaking that fails to safeguard that which is holy from that which is profane.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. —Ezekiel 22:26 (KJV)

The atmosphere in these places is so akin to that of a rock concert that the only thing missing is a sea of lit cigarette lighters. But, throw in a couple of Hallelujahs, the name of Yeshua and, POOF, it is now a worship service.

Where did the Church ever get the idea that the Scriptures allow the Church to downgrade what is supposed to be God-focused worship into mere entertainment?

God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth —John 4:24.

In both the tabernacle and later the temple, the “holy things” of God were not to be treated as unholy. “Holy things” were never to be used for personal pleasure or entertainment. Not even the incense was to be duplicated for personal use or enjoyment under penalty of death (Exodus 30:37,38). Even the incense was sacred.

The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, died because they burned incense using “strange fire” (Leviticus 10:1ff). The “strange fire” which Nadab and Abihu used was fire not taken from the brazen altar where God had commanded (Leviticus 16:12). The brazen altar was the place of sacrifice for sin. Only our thankfulness for being cleansed from our sin can be the fire which ignites our prayers, our worship, and our praise. It was, therefore, mandatory to follow God’s instructions. To deviate from God’s specific instructions was to dishonor God. After God killed Aaron’s sons, Moses reminded him with these words:

It is what the LORD spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.’ (Leviticus 10:3)

God also killed Hophni and Phinehas, sons of Eli the High Priest, because of their irreverence in worship. Their irreverence in worshiping and ministering before God displeased him (1 Samuel 2:12ff). Because of the manner in which they treated the sacrifice and worship, God said they despised them. They were irreverent by not following God’s instructions and taking unto themselves what was exclusively God’s.

In similar fashion today, people are showing that same spirit of irreverence by ignoring God’s instructions. Apparently people today believe that worship in the New Testament is boring. Because unless the worship satisfies their own senses, they are simply not interested. Many times I have people make a statement like, “Worship was not very good today; I did not get much out of it.” If worship is ever “bad” it is always the fault of the one doing the worshiping. If you did not get anything out of a worship service, then maybe, just maybe you did it right. Worship is something you GIVE to God. You are not SUPPOSED to get anything, you are supposed to GIVE everything you have in your heart to God.

It is like going to someone’s birthday party and complaining that the party was not very good because YOU did not get something. At the worship service it is God who is ENTITLED to receive, not those doing the worshiping.

Worship, in the sense of our response to God’s “worth-ship,” is strictly and wholly for God. Worship is not entered into so that we may RECEIVE something. God alone is to be the sole recipient. Our position in true worship, “in spirit and in truth,” must be one of giving...giving to the one whose worth-ship we recognize and dote upon. If we receive anything from our “service” demonstrating God’s worth-ship, it must be only in a derived sense, and not as our singular goal.

All that comes into the presence of God has to be holy. Every sacrifice, every prayer, everything has to be holy. Before the Old Testament priests could minister before God, they could not even approach him until they had been cleansed, and then clothed with holy garments. And every sacrifice that came before God was explicitly prescribed by God, and could only be offered in the way God commanded.

Too many churches today offer entertainment and call it holy music. They offer infotainment, psycho-babble, and self-help lessons and call it the Gospel. What was supposed to be holy is no longer holy. More on this later.

According to the Bible, it is possible to worship God in vain (Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:6,7). Our worship is made vain when we elevate man-made doctrines to the level of God’s will. Entertainment based “worship” is aimed directly at the less spiritual part of man.

Because worship to God is a personal exercise, there is no way to ensure that everyone is worshiping in the right spirit. However, that does not relieve the Church of its responsibility to provide the only environment where that can happen. The Church today must do what the Church of the New Testament is supposed to do, and the New Testament Church should follow the examples and principles laid down for us by Yeshua and the New Testament writers.

To drag true “worship” even further into the realm of entertainment, today’s churches no longer place a premium on the Bible. Once the pompoms and instruments are set aside after that robust and energetic worshiptainment session, then begins the “cool down” period where the audio/visual ministry will put up a verse of Scripture on the screen for you, eliminating the need for people to carry that pesky, heavy, cumbersome, controversial BIBLE around.

Even worse, those verses are often in some Milquetoast version such as the Good News or The Way. Gone are the days of learning where the books of the Bible are by actually turning to them. Apparently learning the books of the Bible and how to find them puts too much pressure on people.

What did worship look like in the New Testament? Only the inspired Word of God was read and studied as authoritative. Prayers are directed to God through Yeshua Messiah and no one else. Communion (the Lord’s Supper) is a time of reverent reflection on the meaning of Yeshua’s death. We should take a closer look at our model.

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins,( he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. —Luke 5:17-26

Now here is an amazing passage of scripture. Let me begin by citing the highlights of the passage:

• Yeshua was teaching
• Religious leaders were present
• The power (dumanis, spiritual ability) was present to heal them

Tags: worship, entertainment, flesh, profane, unclean, world