Post by nicfos on Apr 14, 2006 10:41:24 GMT -5
Lamentations 3:40 "Let us examine our ways and return to the Lord."
First Fruits and Easter are not the same
Every year some very sincere believers in Yeshua celebrate holidays that, although they seem to glorify God, are actually counterfeits originating in paganism and anti-Semitism.
One these is the Christian holiday of Easter. On one of the most important, joyous and holy of days, the day of the Resurrection of Messiah Yeshua, thousands of well meaning Christians will choose to celebrate this day by bringing a pagan goddess and pagan rituals into God's presence. This is done in spite of the very first of the Ten Commandments:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:1-6
A Brief History of "Easter"
Christians fell into calling the Feast of First Fruits "Easter" after the Babylonian goddess known as Ishtar. The pagan goddess has been known by many names over the centuries. In her honor in Babylon, a full month of feast and celebration was dedicated in the Spring of each year during the month of April (which was also called "Eostur-monath"). This feast and celebration was established and practiced long before the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua in 33 CE.
During the fourth century, after the Emperor Constantine came to power, he found himself at war with rival Roman candidates for the rank of Caesar. While on a military campaign at Susa and Turin, he claimed he had a vision of a cross in the sky surrounded by the words "in this sign shalt thou conquer". As a result, Emperor Constantine declared both himself and all of his armies to be Christians. This was conversion by royal decree. Another decree from Constantine was that no one could hold a major position in the government who was not a Christian. When these jobs were threatened, suddenly many more people called themselves Christians.
Prior to this, people became believers only by trusting the Messiah Yeshua, confessing Him with their mouth, repenting of sins, and receiving the gift of the Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit). The "Church" remained pure through persecution: only true believers in the Messiah were willing to lay down their lives for His name. They lived in caves, were killed by the edge of the sword, crucified (upside down), fed to lions, burned alive, bludgeoned to death, and drawn and quartered. Yet they held fast to the name of Yeshua of Nazareth, faithful unto death.
When Satan saw that he couldn't stop these true believers with terror of physical death, he did the most effective thing he could do to slow down the spread of the Good News of the Messiah: he joined the Church. Now, instead of having to risk one's life to be a true believer, it became fashionable to be a pseudo-Christian, and with this onslaught of "in name only" believers, came a multitude of pagan practices.
The holiday of "Easter" is one of these pagan practices. It had nothing to do with Messiah Yeshua. In 325 CE, the "Council of Nicea" (also referred to as the First Ecumenical Council) was called by Constantine. All of the bishops over the churches of that day were invited to attend this council, except for the twenty or so Jewish bishops – they were neither invited nor allowed to attend. Constantine was very anti-Semitic and he himself presided over the council. Among other anti-Jewish decisions reached by this council, it was established that the resurrection of Yeshua would be celebrated on the already established pagan feast called "Easter". There were two pertinent reasons for this decision.
The first reason was because the resurrection of Yeshua had until now been celebrated on the Feast of First Fruits, which was considered a "Jewish" festival and at that time anything considered Jewish was treated as poison. Although early Messianic believers (Christians) had been happy to be associated with the religion of Yeshua (Judaism) and His disciples (Rome had allowed the Jews relative independence), by this time the Jews were being heavily persecuted, and there was a desire among "Christian" leadership to distance themselves from the root of the faith. (Notes taken from Easter, the Counterfeit Passover by Rabbi Yeshayahu Heiliczer).
The second reason was that among the pagans that Constantine needed to draw into his new "state religion", the pagan holiday of Easter was a very popular feast. Instead of requiring an entire empire of "instant Christians" to repent of this pagan holiday and accept the true Feast of God, the council simply substituted the pagan holiday of Easter for the correct celebration date of the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. Not only did they substitute a pagan religion for one of the Feasts ordained by God in the Bible; they had the audacity to keep the same name of the pagan goddess Ishtar (Easter). Under this convenient arrangement, no repentance was necessary, no one was unhappy, no waves were stirred, and God was ignored.
Proof of this pagan link is found in the determination of when "Easter" will occur. The date Easter occurs has nothing to do with the resurrection of the Messiah. Easter was determined (per the Council of Nicea, 325 CE) to occur on the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring (vernal) equinox. This is because "Easter" was and is directly associated with the "birth of spring", not the resurrection of Yeshua. Further proof is found in the presence of the pagan rituals of Easter eggs and bunnies.
The feast of Ishtar in Babylon was a fertility rite. Babylonians would worship the things of fertility in nature by buying new outfits to wear because the trees were putting on new "clothes" during this time of year. During this time of year, they depicted Ishtar as being pregnant. The Babylonians worshipped the rabbit because it was the most fertile of all the animals in the wild. The people of the day colored, painted and played with eggs as being symbolic of fertility and their attempts to get pregnant.
According to Rev. Jeffrey Sief, a Messianic Jewish minister, Jews have an egg on their Passover plate which is not called for in Scripture. This is also Babylonian in origin.
Easter is not mentioned in the Bible, except in the King James Version in Acts 12:4; and even this is an inaccurate translation of this passage. This is seen by many as being an anti-Semitic translation.
We would do well to pay heed to the words of Rabbi David Hargis, a Messianic Rabbi and director of the Messianic Bureau International and the MBI Yeshiva:
"'Easter' is actually a pagan celebration for the goddess (demon) Ishtar/Astarte, which is held on the first Sunday following the Vernal Equinox (Spring planetary cycle). This day was fixed by apostate medieval churchianity and has nothing to do with Yeshua's resurrection. It is rather, a lie and a blasphemy to celebrate it as Yeshua's resurrection.
Believers who want to follow truth need to rethink their blind obedience to the tradition of men. Rather, we need to follow the commandment of God, which He is restoring in this hour."
(Borrowed from Congregation Beit Lechem.)
Most of the Christian church today are not even aware of the history of Easter and Passover and are truly honoring Yeshua from their heart. However, with revelation comes opportunity to correct our walk in holiness before Adonai. Realize that the golden calf was named Jehovah; the Israelites were not honoring a foreign God but their own in the tradition of paganism. Guess you might say that they were "redeeming" the idol of the golden calf. Please take note that it was not accepted but rejected.
Mark 7:13-- Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
As part of the "elect" we have the position of 'electing' to follow close or from afar. Greater is He in us, only to the point that we allow Him to be so. His love for us does not change but our position of receiving may and can by the act of our "election."
1 Peter 2:9-10--But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
John 8:31-36--Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him,"We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Prov 14:12--There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death
First Fruits and Easter are not the same
Every year some very sincere believers in Yeshua celebrate holidays that, although they seem to glorify God, are actually counterfeits originating in paganism and anti-Semitism.
One these is the Christian holiday of Easter. On one of the most important, joyous and holy of days, the day of the Resurrection of Messiah Yeshua, thousands of well meaning Christians will choose to celebrate this day by bringing a pagan goddess and pagan rituals into God's presence. This is done in spite of the very first of the Ten Commandments:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:1-6
A Brief History of "Easter"
Christians fell into calling the Feast of First Fruits "Easter" after the Babylonian goddess known as Ishtar. The pagan goddess has been known by many names over the centuries. In her honor in Babylon, a full month of feast and celebration was dedicated in the Spring of each year during the month of April (which was also called "Eostur-monath"). This feast and celebration was established and practiced long before the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua in 33 CE.
During the fourth century, after the Emperor Constantine came to power, he found himself at war with rival Roman candidates for the rank of Caesar. While on a military campaign at Susa and Turin, he claimed he had a vision of a cross in the sky surrounded by the words "in this sign shalt thou conquer". As a result, Emperor Constantine declared both himself and all of his armies to be Christians. This was conversion by royal decree. Another decree from Constantine was that no one could hold a major position in the government who was not a Christian. When these jobs were threatened, suddenly many more people called themselves Christians.
Prior to this, people became believers only by trusting the Messiah Yeshua, confessing Him with their mouth, repenting of sins, and receiving the gift of the Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit). The "Church" remained pure through persecution: only true believers in the Messiah were willing to lay down their lives for His name. They lived in caves, were killed by the edge of the sword, crucified (upside down), fed to lions, burned alive, bludgeoned to death, and drawn and quartered. Yet they held fast to the name of Yeshua of Nazareth, faithful unto death.
When Satan saw that he couldn't stop these true believers with terror of physical death, he did the most effective thing he could do to slow down the spread of the Good News of the Messiah: he joined the Church. Now, instead of having to risk one's life to be a true believer, it became fashionable to be a pseudo-Christian, and with this onslaught of "in name only" believers, came a multitude of pagan practices.
The holiday of "Easter" is one of these pagan practices. It had nothing to do with Messiah Yeshua. In 325 CE, the "Council of Nicea" (also referred to as the First Ecumenical Council) was called by Constantine. All of the bishops over the churches of that day were invited to attend this council, except for the twenty or so Jewish bishops – they were neither invited nor allowed to attend. Constantine was very anti-Semitic and he himself presided over the council. Among other anti-Jewish decisions reached by this council, it was established that the resurrection of Yeshua would be celebrated on the already established pagan feast called "Easter". There were two pertinent reasons for this decision.
The first reason was because the resurrection of Yeshua had until now been celebrated on the Feast of First Fruits, which was considered a "Jewish" festival and at that time anything considered Jewish was treated as poison. Although early Messianic believers (Christians) had been happy to be associated with the religion of Yeshua (Judaism) and His disciples (Rome had allowed the Jews relative independence), by this time the Jews were being heavily persecuted, and there was a desire among "Christian" leadership to distance themselves from the root of the faith. (Notes taken from Easter, the Counterfeit Passover by Rabbi Yeshayahu Heiliczer).
The second reason was that among the pagans that Constantine needed to draw into his new "state religion", the pagan holiday of Easter was a very popular feast. Instead of requiring an entire empire of "instant Christians" to repent of this pagan holiday and accept the true Feast of God, the council simply substituted the pagan holiday of Easter for the correct celebration date of the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. Not only did they substitute a pagan religion for one of the Feasts ordained by God in the Bible; they had the audacity to keep the same name of the pagan goddess Ishtar (Easter). Under this convenient arrangement, no repentance was necessary, no one was unhappy, no waves were stirred, and God was ignored.
Proof of this pagan link is found in the determination of when "Easter" will occur. The date Easter occurs has nothing to do with the resurrection of the Messiah. Easter was determined (per the Council of Nicea, 325 CE) to occur on the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring (vernal) equinox. This is because "Easter" was and is directly associated with the "birth of spring", not the resurrection of Yeshua. Further proof is found in the presence of the pagan rituals of Easter eggs and bunnies.
The feast of Ishtar in Babylon was a fertility rite. Babylonians would worship the things of fertility in nature by buying new outfits to wear because the trees were putting on new "clothes" during this time of year. During this time of year, they depicted Ishtar as being pregnant. The Babylonians worshipped the rabbit because it was the most fertile of all the animals in the wild. The people of the day colored, painted and played with eggs as being symbolic of fertility and their attempts to get pregnant.
According to Rev. Jeffrey Sief, a Messianic Jewish minister, Jews have an egg on their Passover plate which is not called for in Scripture. This is also Babylonian in origin.
Easter is not mentioned in the Bible, except in the King James Version in Acts 12:4; and even this is an inaccurate translation of this passage. This is seen by many as being an anti-Semitic translation.
We would do well to pay heed to the words of Rabbi David Hargis, a Messianic Rabbi and director of the Messianic Bureau International and the MBI Yeshiva:
"'Easter' is actually a pagan celebration for the goddess (demon) Ishtar/Astarte, which is held on the first Sunday following the Vernal Equinox (Spring planetary cycle). This day was fixed by apostate medieval churchianity and has nothing to do with Yeshua's resurrection. It is rather, a lie and a blasphemy to celebrate it as Yeshua's resurrection.
Believers who want to follow truth need to rethink their blind obedience to the tradition of men. Rather, we need to follow the commandment of God, which He is restoring in this hour."
(Borrowed from Congregation Beit Lechem.)
Most of the Christian church today are not even aware of the history of Easter and Passover and are truly honoring Yeshua from their heart. However, with revelation comes opportunity to correct our walk in holiness before Adonai. Realize that the golden calf was named Jehovah; the Israelites were not honoring a foreign God but their own in the tradition of paganism. Guess you might say that they were "redeeming" the idol of the golden calf. Please take note that it was not accepted but rejected.
Mark 7:13-- Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
As part of the "elect" we have the position of 'electing' to follow close or from afar. Greater is He in us, only to the point that we allow Him to be so. His love for us does not change but our position of receiving may and can by the act of our "election."
1 Peter 2:9-10--But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
John 8:31-36--Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him,"We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Prov 14:12--There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death