Passover And Easter

Good morning to you all. I have a sermon to share with you today. It was written by a very dear friend and my most valued brother in Christ. If you like it you can read more at Gateway to Jesus or What does the bible really say. I wanted for you to read and understand some very important biblical truths about the Passover which starts Friday evening at sunset, and what we have come to know as Easter. Passover And Easter Sermon.Should Christians observe Passover? If so, what does the Christian observance of Passover look like ? Is it the carbon copy of what the Jews do today ?What does the Bible actually say in the New Testament about Christians keeping Passover every year and how to do it ? The evening before Jesus died He gathered with His disciples for His last supper with them.He broke bread that represented His broken body and gave it to them. He gave them wine that represented His shed blood. Jesus then actually set the example we are all to follow in humbly serving others by washing their feet. The bible says concerning the bread and wine .... "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." (1 Cor 11:24 ) The bible then tells us about the foot washing .... So after He had washed their, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, now that I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you . ( John 13:15 ) These are actual commands from Jesus, our Savior and God, to observe a memorial of His death every year, doing these three thingsHe actually commands Christian to do in remembrance of Him on the evening of Passover, just as He had done. Does the Bible really say it is acceptable in the eyes of God for Christians to actually celebrate a pagan holiday like easter that has absolutely nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus? Easter is not actually commanded in the Bible. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is obviously important because it validates who Jesu claimed to be, namely , the Son of God and our Savior. Believing that He rose from the dead is really essential for Christians. The Bible says we must believe in His resurrection in order to receive eternal life. Jesus Christ paid our debt, but His sacrifice on the cross means nothing if He never rose from the dead. So the answer to the question about whether we should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus is absolutely YES, but is the resurrection really the same thing as easter that Christians celebrate every spring? What does the Bible really sayabout this holiday called easter? Is it okay with God for Christians to celebrate easter, which is an entirely different pagan holiday celebration that really has nothing to do with Jesus and His resurrection?What? Isn't celebrating easter the same thing as celebrating the resurrection? According to what Bible

actually says, absolutely not! "Easter" is actually the english word for the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian pagan goddess of sexuality and fertility, Ishtar ( pronounced easter). The Phoenician name of this goddess was Astarte, consort of Baal, the sun god, whose worship is denounced by God in the Bible as abominable pagan idolatry. Ishtar's legacy from the Sumerian tradition is the role of a war goddess and fertility figure, delighting in bodily love and was the protector of prostitutes. She was a complex character constantly surrounded by war, death, and disaster. She was actually known as the queen of heaven, which the catholic church foolishly changed to the title for Jesus' mother, Mary. The Bible actually shows Ishtar, the queen of heaven, being mentioned in Jeremiah. Here is what the Bible says."We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the queen of heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our king and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we have stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her , we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine," ( Jeremiah 44:17-19 ) After Constantine decided to christianize the empire, easter was changed from the pagan holiday celebration of Ishtar the queen of heaven, to the celebration of Jesus and His resurrection. But at its roots , it is all about celebrating a pagan holiday for a goddess of sex and fertility. That's why God says in the Bible that He really hates our man-made feasts. It violates the principal of the first commandment. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." ( Exodus 20:3 ) "Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are trouble to Me, I am weary of hearing them." ( Isaiah 1:14 ) The Bible says God really hates our pagan feasts like easter, no matter how well intended, yet millions of Christians put this pagan goddess celebration before God every year supposedly to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. IT DOES NOT! On easter sunday millions of Christians will gather outside facing east to worship, celebrating the resurrection of the Son of God with the rising sun. Does this sound familiar? If so you may have read about it long before Jesus ever walked this earth. Facing east and worshipping towards the sun at sunrise is a pagan tradition going back thousands of years. What does the Bible say about this? "Have you sen this? He asked . But Iwillshow you even more detestable sins than these! Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord's temple. Ther were about twenty-five men with their backs to the sanctuary of the Lord. They were facing east bowing low to the ground worshipping the sun! Have you seen the this son of man? he asked Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these detestable sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbimg their noses at Me , and provoking My anger?" ( Ezekiel 8:15-18 ) How foolish that Christian churches adopted this sinful pagan tradition of facing east at sunrise on easter Sunday morning, bowing to worship the Son of God at the rising of the sun, just like the pagans did worshipping the sun god Baal and idolatrous consort goddess Ishtar. These worship practices are identical, but millions of Christians unwittingly do it every year in spite of God finding it detestable, and it fills Him with anger. He really hates it! Its just another pagan tradition that the church "Christianized"pagan holiday traditions like this on easter should be avoided by true followers of Jesus, if you really want to be in alignment with God/s will. Do we care about God's thoughts about man-made religious holidays that He never commanded? If you are looking for scriptures to support the celebration of easter or the resurrection, you will not find them. There is no command, example, or instruction anywhere in Scripture to celebrate easter. In fact the Scriptures really say that God HATES our religious holiday celebrations and festivals that He never commanded. Why do we observe pagan based holidays instead of the ones God ordained as His special festivals and holy days? "These are My appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies." (Leviticus 23:2 ) Scripture tells us in Leviticus 23 Gods special feasts. These are the religious feasts we should be keeping! Christmas and Easter are not listed anywhere in the Bible as holy Days or Feast Days. Men created them and filled them with pagan based customs and traditions. Is it any wonder that God hates man created holidays? As a Christian shouldn't we also hate the things that God hates rather than embracing these pagan holidays? God says He will punish All those following pagan customs, ( easter traditions ) and who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, ( easter sunrise services? ) and those who fill their houses with deceit, ( easter bunny lie to our children? ). Here is what the Bible says: " On that day of judgement, says the Lord, I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs. Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, and those who fill their masters houses with violence and deceit.( Zephaniah 1:8-9 ) In many versions of the Bible it says something like( All such as are clothed with foreign apparel ) instead of following pagan customs ) This phrase actually symbolizes the adoption of pagan customs both literally and figuratively. Clothing here represents outward conformity to foreign cultures, including idolatrous practices that were incompatible with God's covenant. And yes this will apply to "ALL THOSE FOLLOWING PAGAN CUSTOMS" including Christians today. "For I am the Lord, I do not change." ( Malachi 3:6 ) The Bible says the Lord never changes. Words our Creator said thousands of years ago to His chosen people then still applies to His chosen people ( Christians ) and ALL people today! He never changes! One final point that applies to many Christian parents. Should they break the 9th commandment and actually "bear false witness" ( Exodus 20:16 ) lying to their children about the easter bunny? Does lying really set a good example as a Christian parent? What happens when the child finds out ther is no magic egg laying bunny? Will they then question the existence of God, or even the resurrection of Jesus? What does God say about this false custom? " A false witness will not go unpunished." ( Proverbs 19:5 ) A true Christian will not lie to their children about an easter bunny! God will do what He says and actually punish Christians if we celebrate pagan, man-made religious holidays like Easter and Christmas. We can either believe what God actually says in the Bible and stop celebrating them, or we can believe the false teachings of our churches and continue in sinful rebellion against God's Will. The choice is ours. Again I would like to thank my dear brother in Christ for his contribution of this sermon. If you would like to discover more Biblical truths please visit https://gatewaytojesus.com My brothers and sister in Christ as always I will not fail to mention you in my prayers, I love you all and may God bless you and keep you safe.