{"id":525,"date":"2020-04-03T11:04:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T16:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/?p=525"},"modified":"2024-03-31T14:19:28","modified_gmt":"2024-03-31T19:19:28","slug":"the-plain-truth-about-easter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/03\/the-plain-truth-about-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Plain Truth About EASTER"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Plain Truth About EASTER<\/strong>
(Abridged)<\/strong>
By Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation of this classic article by<\/em>
the late Herbert W. Armstrong should not<\/em>
be taken as an endorsement of his views<\/em>
on any other subjects.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Resurrection was not on Easter Sunday! \nEaster is not a Christian name, but the title of the idolatrous \u201cqueen \nof heaven.\u201d Here\u2019s an explanation of the true origin and meaning of \nLent, Easter eggs, and sunrise services!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHY DO you believe the things you believe, do the things you do? The \nchances are you never stopped to ask yourself that question. You have \nbeen taught since childhood to accept Easter as the chief of the \nChristian holidays. You have supposed it is part of the true Christian \nreligion to observe Lent, \u201cHoly Week,\u201d \u201cGood Friday,\u201d to buy hot cross \nbuns at the bakery, to have colored Easter eggs, to dress up and go to \nchurch Easter Sunday \u2014 perhaps to attend an Easter sunrise service! \nBecause of the \u201csheep\u201d instinct in humans, most of us believe a lot of \nthings that are not true. Most of us do a lot of things that are wrong, \nsupposing these things to be right, or even sacred!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishtar the Pagan Goddess<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the meaning of the name \u201cEaster\u201d? You have been led to \nsuppose the word means \u201cresurrection of Christ.\u201d For 1600 years the \nWestern world has been taught that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday \nmorning. But that is merely one of the fables the Apostle Paul warned \nreaders of the New Testament to expect\u2026 The name \u201cEaster,\u201d which is \nmarry the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient \nAssyrian and Babylonian goddess Ishtar, comes to us from old Teutonic \nmythology where it is known as Ostern. The Phoenician name of this \ngoddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the sun god, whose worship is \ndenounced by the Almighty in the Bible as the most abominable of all \npagan idolatry. Look up the word \u201cEaster\u201d in Webster\u2019s dictionary. You \nwill find it clearly reveals the pagan origin of the name. In the large \nfive-volume Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, only six brief lines are \ngiven to the name \u201cEaster,\u201d because it occurs only once in the Bible \u2014 \nand that only in the Authorized King James translation. Says Hastings: \n\u201cEaster, used in Authorized Version as the translation of \u2018Pascha\u2019 in \nActs 12:4, \u2018Intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.\u2019 \nRevised Standard Version has substituted correctly \u2018the Passover.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apostles Observed Passover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Almanac, 1968 edition, page 187, says: \u201cIn the second \ncentury A.D., Easter Day was, among Christians in Asia Minor [that is, \nin the Churches at Ephesus, Galatia, etc. \u2014 the so-called \u201cGentile\u201d \nchurches raised up by the Apostle Paul] the 14th of Nisan, the seventh \nmonth of the Jewish [civil] calendar.\u201d In other words, the 14th day of \nthe first month of the sacred calendar, and it was not then called by \nthe name of the pagan deity \u201cEaster,\u201d but by the Bible name \u201cPassover.\u201d \nPassover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the holy days God\n had ordained forever were all observed by Jesus, and the early \napostles, and the converted Gentile Christians (Acts 2:1; 12:3; 18:21; \n20:6, 16; I Cor. 5:7-8; 16:8). Passover is a memorial of the crucifixion\n of Christ (Luke 22:19). Passover, observed by the early true Church, \noccurred not on Sunday or any fixed day of the week, but on a calendar \nday of the year. The day of the week varies from year to year. Easter is\n one of the pagan days Paul warned Gentile converts they must not return\n to observing (Gal. 4:9-10). How, then, did this pagan festival enter \ninto and fasten itself upon a professing Christianity? That is a \nsurprising story \u2014 but first, notice the true origin and nature of \nEaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its Chaldean Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter, as Alexander Hislop says (The Two Babylons, p. 103), \u201cbears \nits Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than \nAstarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven \u2026.\u201d The \nancient gods of the pagans had many different names. While this goddess \nwas called Astarte by the Phoenicians, it appears on Assyrian monuments \nfound by Layard in excavations at Nineveh as Ishtar (Austen H. Layard, \nNineveh and Babylon, Vol. II, p. 629). Both were pronounced \u201cEaster.\u201d \nLikewise, Bel (referred to in the Old Testament), also was called \nMolech. It was for sacrificing to Molech (I Kings 11:1-11, especially \nverse 7, where Molech is called an abomination) and other pagan gods \nthat the Eternal condemned Solomon, and rended away the Kingdom of \nIsrael from his son. In the ancient Chaldean idolatrous sun-worship, as \npracticed by the Phoenicians, Baal was the sun god; Astarte, his consort\n or wife. And Astarte is the same as Ishtar, or the English \u201cEaster.\u201d \nSays Hislop: \u201cThe festival, of which we read in Church history, under \nthe name of Easter, in the third or fourth centuries, was quite a \ndifferent festival from that now observed in the Romish [and Protestant]\n Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter. It \nwas called Pascha, or the Passover, and \u2026 was very early observed by \nmany professing Christians \u2026. That festival agreed originally with the \ntime of the Jewish Passover, when Christ was crucified \u2026. That festival \nwas not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent\u201d (The Two Babylons, \np. 104).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Did We Get Lent?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowbeit you should know,\u201d wrote Johannes Cassianus (John Cassian) in\n the fifth century, \u201cthat as long as the primitive church retained its \nperfection unbroken, this observance of Lent did not exist\u201d (First \nConference Abbot Theonas, chapter 30). Jesus observed no Lent. The \napostles and the early true Church of God observed no Lenten season. \nThen how did this observance originate? \u201cThe forty days\u2019 abstinence of \nLent was directly borrowed from the worshipers of the Babylonian \ngoddess. Such a Lent of forty days, in the spring of the year, is still \nobserved by the Yezidis or pagan Devil-worshippers of Koordistan, who \nhave inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent\n of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans \u2026. Such a Lent \nof forty days was observed in Egypt \u2026\u201d (The Two Babylons, pp. 104, 105).\n In fact this Egyptian Lent of forty days was observed expressly in \nhonor of Osiris, also known as Adonis in Syria and Tammuz in Babylonia \n(Sabean Researches, by John Landseer, pp. 111, 112). Do you realize what\n has happened? God Almighty commanded His people to observe the Passover\n forever! (Ex. 12:24.) This command was given while the Israelites were \nstill in Egypt, prior to the Old Covenant, or the Law of Moses! It \npictured, before the crucifixion, Christ\u2019s death for the remission of \nour sins, as a type looking forward to it. At His last Passover, Jesus \nchanged the emblems used from the blood of a lamb and eating its roasted\n body to the bread and wine. Jesus did not abolish Passover \u2014 He merely \nchanged the emblems, or symbols used. All the apostles of Christ and \ntrue Christians of the first century true Church observed it on the 14th\n day of the first month of the sacred calendar. It is now a memorial of \nChrist\u2019s death, reaffirming, year by year on its anniversary, the true \nChristian\u2019s faith in the blood of Christ for the remission of his sins, \nand the broken body of Christ for his physical healing. But what has \nhappened? Do you realize it? All Western nations have been deceived into\n dropping the festival God ordained forever to commemorate the death of \nthe true Saviour for our sins, and substituting in its place the pagan \nfestival in commemoration of the counterfeit \u201csavior\u201d and mediator Baal,\n the sun god, named after the mythical Ishtar, his wife \u2014 actually none \nother than the ancient Semiramis, who palmed herself off as the wife of \nthe sun god, the idolatrous \u201cqueen of heaven.\u201d This is not Christian! It\n is pagan to the core! Yet scores of millions are deceived into \nobserving this form of heathen idolatry, under the delusion they are \nhonoring Jesus Christ the Son of the Creator God! Easter does not honor \nChrist! And yet, have you not been like a blind sheep, following the \nother millions in observing this custom? \u201cThe times of this ignorance \nGod winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent\u201d (Acts \n17:30).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyed Eggs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But did you know that dyed Easter eggs also figured in the ancient \nBabylonian mystery rites, just as they do in Easter observance today? \nYes, these are pagan, too. It is recorded in Edward Davies\u2019 \u201cThe \nMythology and Rites of the British Druids,\u201d page 210, that the ancient \nDruids bore an egg as the sacred emblem of their idolatrous order. Eggs \nwere sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of\n the religious ceremonies in Egypt and in the Orient. According to James\n Bonwick: \u201cEggs were hung up in the Egyptian temples. Bunsen calls \nattention to the mundane egg, the emblem of generative life, proceeding \nfrom the mouth of the great god of Egypt. The mystic egg of Babylon, \nhatching the Venus Ishtar, fell from heaven to the Euphrates. Dyed eggs \nwere sacred Easter offerings in Egypt, as they are still in China and \nEurope. Easter, or spring, was the season of birth, terrestrial and \ncelestial\u201d (Egyptian Belief and Modern Thought, pp. 211-212). Why do \npeople who believe themselves to be Christians dye eggs at Easter? Do \nthey suppose the Bible ordained, or commands, this heathen custom? There\n is not a word of it in the New Testament. Certainly Christ did not \nstart it, and the apostles and early Christians did none of it! Then why\n should you do it today? Why follow heathenism and try to convince \nyourself you are a Christian? God calls such things abomination!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easter Sunrise Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You think Easter sunrise services are beautiful? Listen! God was showing the Prophet Ezekiel the sins of His people in a vision \u2014 a prophecy for today! \u201cTurn thee yet again,\u201d said God, \u201cand thou shalt see greater abominations than these [Ezekiel had just been shown, in vision, idol worship among professing people of God]. And he brought me in vision into the inner court of the Eternal\u2019s house, and behold \u2026 between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with \u2026 their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing \u2026 that they commit the abominations which they commit here? \u2026 Therefore will I deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them\u201d! (Ezek. 8:15-18.) Do you grasp what this most abominable thing is? It is the identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning \u2014 the sunrise service \u2014 standing with their faces toward the east, as the sun is rising, in a service of worship which honors the sun god and his mythical idolatrous consort, goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient sun worship of the sun god Baal! Throughout the Bible this is revealed as the most abominable of all idolatry in the sight of the Eternal Creator! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Easter Crept Into the Church<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such is the origin and early history of Easter. How, then, was this \npagan festival injected into professing Christian religion, as a \nsubstitute for an ordinance of God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before revealing briefly the astonishing account of this great \ndeception, two facts must be firmly fixed in mind. First, Jesus and the \napostles foretold, not a universal, widespread popular growth of the \ntrue New Testament Church, but a falling away from the truth on the part\n of the great majority. Prophesying a popular, universal falling away \nfrom the faith once delivered, to the Thessalonians Paul stated, \u201cThe \nmystery of iniquity doth already work,\u201d only some 20 years after the \nChurch began! He referred to the very \u201cChaldean Mysteries,\u201d of which \nEaster and Christmas were the two chief festivals! Second, although \nJesus said the gates of hell would never prevail against His church, yet\n it is prophesied in the New Testament to be the \u201clittle flock\u201d never as\n a great, large, popular universal church (Luke 12:32). This is the very\n fact the world does not realize today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TWO Churches \u2014 One False, One True<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In New Testament prophecy two churches are described. One, the great \nand powerful and universal church, a part of the world, actually ruling \nin its politics over many nations, and united with the \u201cHoly Roman \nEmpire,\u201d is brought to a concrete focus in Revelation 17. This church is\n pictured with great pomp, ritual and display, decked in purple, scarlet\n and gold \u2014 proud, worldly, boastful. She is pictured as a universal \ndeceiver \u2014 all the Western nations spiritually drunk with her false \ndoctrines, their spiritual perception so blurred by her paganized \nteachings and practices they are unable to clearly distinguish truth! \nShe boasts she is the true Church, yet she is drunken with the blood of \nthe saints she has caused to be martyred! But how could she have \ndeceived the whole world, as foretold in God\u2019s Word? Surely, the \nProtestant world isn\u2019t deceived! Oh, but it is! Notice, verse 5, she is a\n mother church! Her daughters are also churches who have come out of \nher, in protest, calling themselves Protestant \u2014 but they are \nfundamentally of her family in pagan doctrines and practices! They, too,\n make themselves a part of this world, taking active part in its \npolitics \u2014 the very act which made a \u201charlot\u201d out of their mother! The \nentire apostate family \u2014 mother, and more than 400 daughter \ndenominations, all divided against each other and in confusion of \ndoctrines, yet all united in the chief pagan doctrines and festivals \u2014 \nhas a family name! They call themselves \u201cChristian,\u201d but God calls them \nsomething else \u2014 \u201cMystery, Babylon the Great\u201d! \u201cBabylon\u201d means \nconfusion! God always names people and things by calling them what they \nare! And here are the identical ancient Babylonian Mysteries now wrapped\n in the false cloak labeled \u201cChristianity\u201d \u2014 but in fact it is the same \nold \u201cBabylonian Mystery System.\u201d But where, then, was the true Church?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRUE Church Small \u2014 Scattered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did the true Church of God, of which Jesus Christ is the living, \ndirecting Head, become perverted \u2014 did it merely apostatize into the \nsystem described above? No! The gates of hell have never prevailed \nagainst the true Church of God, and never will! The true Church has \nnever fallen! It has never ceased! But the true Church of God is \npictured in prophecy as the \u201clittle flock\u201d! The New Testament describes \nthis Church as continually persecuted, despised by the large popular \nchurches because it is not OF this world or its politics, but has kept \nitself unspotted from the world! It has always kept the Commandments of \nGod and the faith of Jesus (Rev. 12:17). It has kept God\u2019s Festivals, \nnot the pagan holidays. It has been empowered with the Spirit of God! \nThat Church never became the great popular church at Rome, as the \nProtestant world supposes! That Church has always existed, and it exists\n today! Then where did it go? Where was it during the Middle Ages? Where\n is it today? (Write for our free booklet \u201cWhere Is God\u2019s True Church \nToday?\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, remember this Church was never large, never politically \npowerful, or a world-known organization of men. It is a spiritual \norganism, not a political organization. It is composed of all whose \nhearts and lives have been changed by the Spirit of God, whether visibly\n together, or individually scattered. Under the lash of continual \npersecution and opposition from the organized forces of this world, it \nis difficult for such a people to remain united and organized together. \nDaniel prophesied the true people of God would be scattered (Dan. 12:7).\n Ezekiel foretold it (Ezek. 34:5-12). Jeremiah, too (Jer. 23:1-2). Jesus\n foretold it (Matt. 26:31). The apostolic Church was soon scattered by \npersecution (Acts 8:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignored by Most Histories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t read much of this true Body of Christ in the secular \nhistories of this world! No, the world little notes, nor long remembers,\n the activities of this \u201clittle flock,\u201d hated and despised by the world,\n driven to the wilderness by persecution, always opposed, usually \nscattered! But there are enough references to it in authentic histories \nto show that it has continued through every century to now! The \nprophecies bring this Church into concrete focus in the 12th chapter of \nRevelation. There she is shown spiritually, in the glory and splendor of\n the Spirit of God, but visibly in the world as a persecuted Commandment\n keeping Church driven into the wilderness, for 1260 years, through the \nMiddle Ages! Even in Paul\u2019s day, many among those attending at Antioch, \nat Jerusalem, at Ephesus, at Corinth, and other places, began to \napostatize and turn away from the truth. Divisions sprang up. Those \nindividuals, unconverted or turned from God\u2019s truth and way of life, \nwere no part of God\u2019s true Church, though visibly assembling with those \nwho were. The \u201cmystery of iniquity\u201d was already working inside these \nvisible churches. This apostasy increased! By the year A.D. 125 the \nmajority in most churches, especially those Gentile-born, were \ncontinuing in many of their old pagan beliefs and practices, though \nprofessing to be Christian! Gradually, a smaller and smaller portion of \nthe visible churches going by the name \u201cChristian\u201d remained truly \nyielded to God and His truth, and led of His Spirit. After Constantine \ntook virtual control of the visible, professing Church in the early \nfourth century, this visible organization became almost wholly pagan, \nand began excommunicating and persecuting all who held to the true Word \nof God! Finally, it became necessary for real Christians, who, even as a\n scattered people, alone composed the true Christian Church, to flee \nfrom the jurisdiction of Rome in order truly to worship God! Thus, the \nvisible, organized Church which rose to power was the FALSE Church \u2014 the\n \u201cGreat Whore\u201d of Revelation 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Injected Into the Church<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing illustrates this very fact more vividly than the actual \nhistory of the injecting of Easter into the Western Church. Here is the \nquick, brief history of it, from the Encyclopedia Britannica (11th \nedition, Vol. VIII, pp. 828-829): \u201cThere is no indication of the \nobservance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the \nwritings of the Apostolic Fathers \u2026. The first Christians [the original \ntrue Church] continued to observe the Jewish [that is, God\u2019s] festivals,\n though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events which those \nfestivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception \nadded to it, of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb and the first fruits \nfrom the dead, continued to be observed. \u201cAlthough the observance of \nEaster was at a very early period in the practice of the Christian \nChurch, a serious difference as to the day for its observance soon arose\n between the Christians of Jewish and those of Gentile descent, which \nled to a long and bitter controversy. With the Jewish Christians \u2026 the \nfast ended \u2026 on the 14th day of the moon at evening \u2026 without regard to \nthe day of the week. The Gentile Christians on the other hand [that is, \nthe beginning of the Roman Church, now substituting pagan for true \nChristian doctrines] \u2026 identified the first day of the week with the \nresurrection, and kept the preceding Friday as the commemoration of the \ncrucifixion, irrespective of the day of the month. \u201cGenerally speaking, \nthe Western Churches [Catholic] kept Easter on the 1st day of the week, \nwhile the Eastern Churches [containing most of those who remained as \npart of the true Christian Church] followed the Jewish rule. [That is, \nobserving Passover on the 14th of the first sacred month instead of the \npagan Easter.] \u201cPolycarp, the disciple of John the Evangelist, and \nbishop of Smyrna, visited Rome in 159 [sic] to confer with Anicetus, the\n bishop of that see, on the subject, and urged the tradition which he \nhad received from the apostles of observing the 14th day. Anicetus, \nhowever, declined. About forty years later (197), the question was \ndiscussed in a very different spirit between Victor, bishop of Rome, and\n Polycrates, metropolitan of proconsular Asia [the territory of the \nChurches at Ephesus, Galatia, Antioch, Philadelphia, and all those \nmentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 \u2014 the Churches established through the \nApostle Paul]. That province was the only portion of Christendom which \nstill adhered to the Jewish usage. Victor demanded that all should adopt\n the usage prevailing at Rome. This Polycrates firmly refused to agree \nto, and urged many weighty reasons to the contrary, whereupon Victor \nproceeded to excommunicate Polycrates and the Christians who continued \nthe Eastern usage [that is, who continued in God\u2019s way, as Jesus, Peter,\n Paul, and all the early true Church had done]. He was, however, \nrestrained [by other bishops] from actually proceeding to enforce the \ndecree of excommunication \u2026 and the Asiatic churches retained their \nusage unmolested. We find the Jewish [true Christian Passover] usage \nfrom time to time reasserting itself after this, but it never prevailed \nto any large extent. \u201cA final settlement of the dispute was one among \nthe other reasons which led Constantine to summon the council at Nicaea \nin 325. At that time the Syrians and Antiochenes were the solitary \nchampions of the observance of the 14th day. The decision of the council\n was unanimous that Easter was to be kept on Sunday, and on the same \nSunday throughout the world, and that \u2018none hereafter should follow the \nblindness of the Jews.\u2019 [That is, in plain language, the Roman Church \nnow decreed that none should be allowed to follow the ways of Christ \u2014 \nof the true Christian Church!] \u201c\u2026 The few who afterwards separated \nthemselves from the unity of the church [Roman Church], and continued to\n keep the 14th day, were named \u2018Quarto-decimani,\u2019 and the dispute itself\n is known as the \u2018Quartodeciman controversy.’\u201d Thus you see how the \npolitically organized church at Rome grew to great size and power by \nadopting popular pagan practices and how she gradually stamped out the \ntrue teachings, doctrines, and practices of Christ and the true Church, \nso far as any collective practice is concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True Christians Kept Passover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Testament reveals that Jesus, the apostles, and the New \nTestament Church, both Jewish- and Gentile-born, observed God\u2019s \nSabbaths, and God\u2019s Festivals weekly and annually! Take your Bible and \ncarefully read Acts 2:1; 12:3-4 (remember the word \u201cEaster\u201d here is a \nmistranslation in the King James Version \u2014 originally inspired \n\u201cPassover,\u201d and so corrected in the Revised Standard Version); Acts \n18:21; 20:6, 16; I Corinthians 16:8. Eusebius, historian of the early \ncenturies of the Church, speaks of the true Christians observing \nPassover on the 14th of Nisan, first month of the Sacred Calendar. \u201cA \nquestion of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of \nall Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of \nthe moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, \nshould be observed as the feast of the Saviour\u2019s passover \u2026 the bishops \nof Asia, led by Polycrates, decided to hold to the old custom handed \ndown to them. He himself, in a letter which he addressed to Victor and \nthe church of Rome, set forth in the following words the tradition which\n had come down to him: \u201c\u2018We observe the exact day; neither adding, nor \ntaking away. For in Asia also great lights have fallen asleep, which \nshall rise again on the day of the Lord\u2019s coming, when he shall come \nwith glory from heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these \nare Philip, one of the twelve apostles \u2026 and, moreover, John, who was \nboth a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord \u2026 \nand Polycarp in Smyrna, who was a bishop and martyr; and Thraseas, \nbishop and martyr from Eumenia \u2026 the bishop and martyr Sagaris \u2026 the \nblessed Papirius, or Melito \u2026.All these observed the fourteenth day of \nthe passover according to the Gospel, deviating in no respect, but \nfollowing the rule of faith\u2019 \u201d (Ecclesiastical History, book V, chapters\n XXIII and XXIV). But as the false, paganized church grew in size and \npolitical power, decrees were passed in the fourth century A.D. imposing\n the death sentence upon Christians found keeping God\u2019s Sabbath, or \nGod\u2019s Festivals. Finally, in order to keep the true way of God, many \nChristians (composing the true Church) fled for their lives. But another\n large portion of the true Church of God, failing to flee, yet remaining\n true to God\u2019s truth, paid with their lives in martyrdom (Rev. 2:13; \n6:9; 13:15; 17:6; 18:24). They loved obedience to God more than their \nlives! Do you? But through all generations, through every century, \nthough persecuted, scattered, unrecognized by the world, many true \nChristians have kept alive the true Church of God \u2014 the Church composed \nof those who have the Holy Spirit of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What God Did Command<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201ccommunion,\u201d often called the \u201cLord\u2019s Supper,\u201d is actually the \nPassover \u2014 as the ordinance should more properly be called. On observing\n the Passover, as on every practice, Jude exhorts \u201cthat ye should \ncontend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.\u201d\n Now that we know the pagan origin of the Easter celebration, let\u2019s \nclear away the web of error that covers the truth about keeping the \nPassover, the memorial of Christ\u2019s death. Let\u2019s examine the way Jesus \nobserved this ordinance, because we can\u2019t be wrong if we follow His \nexample. In Luke 22:14-20, we read, \u201cAnd when the hour was come, he \n[Jesus] sat down \u2026.And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and\n gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do\n in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This \ncup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.\u201d Notice, it\n was \u201cwhen the hour was come,\u201d that Jesus introduced the unleavened \nbread and the wine. There was a definite time \u2014 a definite hour \u2014 when \nHe held this ordinance as an example for us. Notice, too, He commanded \nthem to observe it \u2014 \u201cThis do\u201d! And why? \u201cIn remembrance of me,\u201d said \nJesus. He instituted this New Testament way of keeping the Passover, on \nthat tragic night, the very eve of His death. In Matthew\u2019s account, the \nBible shows that this ordinance was at the very time of the Passover, \n\u201cas they were eating\u201d (Matt. 26:2, 26). Jesus knew that His time had \ncome. He was our passover, sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7). The Passover \nhad always been held on the eve of the 14th of God\u2019s first month, \naccording to the Sacred or Jewish Calendar. It was the night of the \nfinal and last Passover supper that Jesus introduced these New Testament\n emblems \u2014 the unleavened bread and the wine \u2014 in place of the lamb that\n was always slain annually. For a full explanation of the original \nPassover as God instituted it, write immediately for our free booklet \n\u201cPagan Holidays or God\u2019s Holy Days \u2014 Which?\u201d Remember Jesus commanded: \n\u201cThis do in remembrance of me.\u201d Why? Because the Passover was commanded \n\u201cforever.\u201d The Passover was to be observed annually, along with the Days\n of Unleavened Bread. \u201cThou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his \nseason year to year\u201d (Ex. 13:10). Jesus set us an example (I Peter \n2:21), observing this ordinance at the same time once a year (Luke \n2:42). Suppose the Israelites in Egypt had observed this ordinance at \nsome other time than that set by God? They would not have been saved \nwhen the death angel passed by that night! God does things on time. He \nhas given us an exact time for this ordinance. Jesus instituted the New \nTestament symbols \u201cwhen the hour was come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ordinance of Humility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In giving us their accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the \ntaking of unleavened bread and wine. But John relates another part of \nthis ordinance. In the 13th chapter of John we notice that after the \nPassover supper was ended (verse 2), Jesus took a towel (verse 4) and \nbegan to wash His disciples\u2019 feet (verse 5). \u201cSo after he had washed \ntheir feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said \nunto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: \nand ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have \nwashed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another\u2019s feet. For I have \ngiven you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you\u201d (John \n13:12-15). If any of you are wondering if this ordinance of humility is a\n command to you, then turn to Matthew 28:19, 20. Here Jesus said to \nthese same disciples: \u201cGo ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing\n them \u2026 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded \nYOU.\u201d So they were to teach us to observe all things whatsoever Jesus \ncommanded them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kept Once a Year in the Apostolic Church<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In I Corinthians 5:7, 8, Paul tells the Corinthians: \u201cChrist our \npassover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with\n old leaven \u2026 but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.\u201d And\n in the 11th chapter he gives the directions regarding this ordinance. \nSome misunderstand verse 26 which says: \u201cAs often as ye eat this bread, \nand drink this cup,\u201d by interpreting it \u201ctake it as often as you wish.\u201d \nBut it does not say that! It says \u201cas often\u201d as you observe it, \u201cye do \nshow the Lord\u2019s death till he come.\u201d Even Jesus commanded, \u201cThis do ye, \nas oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me\u201d (verse 25). We do it in \nremembrance of the Lord\u2019s death \u2014 a memorial of His death. As you know, \nmemorials are celebrated annually, once a year, on the anniversary of \nthe events commemorated. So we observe the memorial of Christ\u2019s death \nannually. And just as often as each year comes around, we are to \u201cshow \nthe Lord\u2019s death till he come,\u201d by keeping this memorial. Christ \ninstituted this ordinance on the eve of His death. It was the 14th of \nAbib, by God\u2019s Sacred Calendar, in the very beginning of the day. God \nstarts days at sunset, not midnight. So, later that same day, after \nJesus had gone out to Gethsemane, Judas Iscariot led the crowd to seize \nJesus. Then He was crucified later that same day, in the daylight part \nof this same 14th of the month Abib. By following the example of Jesus \nin observing this sacred ordinance at the same time He did \u2014 the very \nsame time the Passover was forever commanded to be observed \u2014 we \ncontinue to remember His death, annually, on the eve of the crucifixion.\n Some always question the meaning of Paul in verses 27-29, in I \nCorinthians 11. The apostle is not speaking about a Christian being \nworthy or unworthy to take it. It is speaking of the manner in which it \nis done. We take it unworthily if we take it wrongly, in the wrong \nmanner. Once we learn the truth about its observance, and yet take it at\n any other time than when God says, then we take it unworthily. We take \nit unworthily if we do not accept the body and blood of Christ. So let\u2019s\n not take this most sacred ordinance to our condemnation, but take it \nworthily instead!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEaster\u201d a Mistranslation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the example of Jesus and the apostles, the early Church \nobserved the Passover, and the Days of Unleavened Bread which \nimmediately followed. Notice Acts 12:3. The Holy Spirit of God inspired \nthese words: \u201cThen were the days of unleavened bread.\u201d But in the next \nverse we read of \u201cEaster.\u201d We have already seen that \u201cEaster\u201d was \ninjected into the Church years after the time of Christ. Again, this \nword \u201cEaster\u201d is a mistranslation. The original Greek word is pascha, \nmeaning Passover. In every other place, exactly the same word is used in\n the original and always rendered Passover. Many other translations \nfaithfully render this verse in Acts as \u201cintending after the Passover to\n bring him forth to the people.\u201d So this verse, instead of mentioning \nEaster, really proves that the Church, ten years after the death of \nChrist, was still observing Passover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does \u201cBreak Bread\u201d Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some denominations that read Acts 20:7 as a proof that the \u201cLord\u2019s Supper\u201d should be taken each Sunday morning! First notice that this was after the Days of Unleavened Bread (verse 6). Paul was preaching a farewell meeting, not on Sunday morning, but on Saturday night. It was after midnight (verse 7), that they broke bread because they were hungry. When they \u201chad broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day,\u201d Paul departed. So this was just an ordinary meal! The same expression \u201cbreak bread\u201d is found in Acts 27:34, 35. \u201cWherefore I pray you to take some meat \u2026 he took bread \u2026 and when he had broken it, he began to eat.\u201d Also Acts 2:46: \u201cAnd breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness.\u201d This could not possibly have been the \u201cLord\u2019s Supper\u201d or, more properly, Passover, because Paul says that if we take it to satisfy our hunger we take it to our condemnation (I Cor. 11:34). In that day, everyone \u201cbroke bread\u201d at ordinary meals, because they did not have the kind of bread that we slice. Jesus broke bread because it was at the Passover supper, while eating a meal. We need to return to the faith once delivered. Let us humbly and obediently observe this sacred ordinance as we are commanded, at the scriptural time, after sunset, the 14th of Abib according to the Sacred Calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Our rent is due tomorrow!!!<\/em><\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you know we have been digging ourselves out of a budget shortfall<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 As I have said to you many times, I look on this work as a co-operative one with me, and all of you combining our resources together in order to get the job done of helping to teach this great truth to all in the world who will listen. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your continued support, you are the ones who make it all possible<\/strong><\/em> by your contributions and your prayers for our work. I truly appreciate your help in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can make a one time donation of $500 or $1,000 dollars to support this work.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Donations can be sent by Paypal to donations@wnae.org<\/mark><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Or click HERE<\/a> to donate<\/strong>
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And don\u2019t forget to join the conversations at the NazareneSpace Social Network<\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Plain Truth About EASTER(Abridged)By Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986) The presentation of this classic article bythe late Herbert W. Armstrong should notbe taken as an endorsement of his viewson any other subjects. The Resurrection was not on Easter Sunday! Easter is not a Christian name, but the title of the idolatrous \u201cqueen of heaven.\u201d Here\u2019s … Continue reading “The Plain Truth About EASTER”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Plain Truth About EASTER - NazareneSpace Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/nazarenespace.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/03\/the-plain-truth-about-easter\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Plain Truth About EASTER - NazareneSpace Blog\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Plain Truth About EASTER(Abridged)By Herbert W. 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Armstrong (1892-1986) The presentation of this classic article bythe late Herbert W. Armstrong should notbe taken as an endorsement of his viewson any other subjects. The Resurrection was not on Easter Sunday! 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