"EASTER"
EVERY SUNDAY
n
They Are Not Scriptural
n
CHRISTMAS AND EASTER were
not days observed by the church of the New Testament. Search your New Testament
Scriptures from cover to cover. You cannot find just once where these days
were observed (and the Lord in the Great Commission instructed the apostles
to teach men "to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," Matthew
28:20). Hence, if the Lord had wanted us to observe such days in the church,
we would have a record of them in the writings of the apostles and other
inspired men (John 14:26; 16:13; II Timothy 3:16,17). (But we are suspicious
that, like the secular world, religious publishing houses promote these
days to sell their products).
n
The Origin of Christmas
and Easter
n
A hint as to the origin of the observance of Christmas can easily
be seen by the observant person in the etymology of the word itself. Notice
"Christmas" = CHRIST + MASS. (You figure this one out for yourself). And
for those who think they have found Scriptural authority for Easter in
Acts 12:4 of the King James Version of the Bible, a second thought is in
order. For those who have made the King James Version an idol (and it is
deserving of veneration, but not idolatry), we are sorry to say, but this
is a mistranslation (check your other versions and the original language).
The Greek word in the original is pascha (PASSOVER), even
as the writer Luke says, "Then were the days of unleavened bread" (Acts
12:3). It is weird to have the word "Easter" associated with the resurrection
of Christ, as it had reference to a pagan festival in the springtime observed
in connection with the heathen goddess Eastre. It is almost like the Devil
is making fun of the birth and resurrection of Christ, tagging revered
truths with idolatrous labels. How strange it is that things like this
get started and supposedly "intelligent" people keep hanging on to them.
The Resurrection
Understood
n
However, for practical purposes we understand what people mean when
they use the word "Easter" today. They have reference to the day they remember
the resurrection of Christ from the grave, which brings us to our following
line of thought.
n
Psalms 118:22-24,
A Great Prophecy
n
A marvelous prophecy is found in Psalms 118:22-24. It reads, "The
stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day
which the LORD had made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." This Scripture
is quoted more than once in the New Testament. Among the references is
Acts 4:11, with the verse right before it throwing light upon its meaning:
"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you
whole. This is the stone which was set at naught by you builders,
which is become the head of the corner." Yes, obviously he is referring
to the prophecy in Psalms. The stone being rejected (set at naught, refused)
ties in with the crucifixion of Christ, and it being made the head of the
corner ties in with the resurrection of Christ.
n
The last part of the passage in Psalms 118, although it is not quoted
in Acts, applies to the glorious event spoken of here: "Whom God raised
from the dead." The Psalms reference reads, "This is the day which the
LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalms 118:24). What
a day that was!
n
The First Day of
the Week
n
Really, what day was it when Jesus came forth from the grave? "Now
upon
the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came
unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain
others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not the body of Jesus…" (Read Luke 24:1-3;
Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-9; John 20:1). Mark 16:9 very plainly states, "Now
when
Jesus was risen early the first day of the week…" So, the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ occurred on what we call Sunday, the first day
of the week, which followed Saturday (the Sabbath, the seventh day of the
week).
n
The first day of the week is emphasized in reference to the resurrection
appearances of Jesus and the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. Notice
John 20:1. (1) "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene
early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken
away from the sepulchre" (verse 1). (2) "Then the same day at evening,
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where
the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood
in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (verse 19). (3) "And
after
eight days [being the first day of the week] again his disciples
were within, and Thomas with them; then came Jesus, the doors being shut,
and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you" (verse 26). It seems
the writer makes a special point of mentioning the first day of the week.
Early Church Met
on This Day
n
It is interesting to notice that the early church met on the first
day of the week, instead of the Sabbath (and the first day of the week,
Sunday, is universally recognized until this day in "Christendom"). Acts
20:7 reads, "And upon the first day of the week, when the
disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready
to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." Paul
instructed the Corinthians, "Upon the first day of the week
let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that
there be no gatherings when I come" (I Corinthians 16:2). Christians no
longer observed the Sabbath because that "handwriting of ordinances" (the
O.T. law) had been taken out of the way, God "nailing it to his cross"
(Colossians 2:14). Consequently, Paul said, "Let no man therefore judge
you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of any holyday, or of the new moon,
or of the sabbath days" (Colossians 2:16). Some churches
in Galatia were observing the Sabbath and other days. Paul solemnly wrote
to them, "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid
of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain" (Galatians 4:10,11).
n
Day of Pentecost
n
(It is a matter of special interest that it was upon the first day
of the week that the church was started. As we know, the church came into
being with power on the first Jewish Pentecost after the resurrection of
Christ (Matthew 16:18,19; Mark 9:1; Acts 2). Leviticus 23:15 and 16, having
to do with the day of Pentecost, reads, "And ye shall count unto you from
the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of
the wave offering; even seven Sabbaths shall ye number fifty day; and ye
shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD." A week of Sabbaths was
to follow the Passover Sabbath, then the next day, fiftieth day, was the
day of Pentecost, which means fifty. Of course the day that follows the
Sabbath is the first day of the week. Therefore, not only was Christ resurrected
from the grave on the first day of the week, the church was established
on this day, too—only a little later).
n
"Easter" Every Sunday
n
What we are trying to say in this article is that the first day of
every week (SUNDAY) is "Easter" (using the terminology of the world) to
the New Testament Christians. The evidence points to the fact that the
early church met on this day, instead of the Sabbath, in honor of the resurrection
of Christ (and that day is commonly observed in "Christian" communities
until now, although many have forgotten what the original significance
was). "This is the day the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad
in it" (Psalms 118:24). Let us not detract from the Scriptures by emphasizing
special days other than what the Lord would have emphasized.
The Lord’s Supper
n
New Testament Christians observe the Lord’s Supper the first day
of every week (Acts 20:7) in remembrance of the death of Christ (I Corinthians
11:23-26), and how appropriate to remember his death on the day of his
resurrection. Both are the great and cardinal doctrines of Christianity,
neither being meaningful without the other.
n
REMEMBER: Every Sunday
is "Easter" (resurrection day) to New Testament Christians. In the light
of this, we admonish you with the Hebrews writer, "Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is: but exhorting one another:
and so much the more as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). What
great, exciting and precious truths we celebrate as we gather together
with those of like precious faith! AMEN!
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(Check out additional thought on why "Easter"
is found in Acts 12 of the KJV of the Bible in the following short article).
EXPLANATION
OF "EASTER"
IN
THE KING JAMES TRANSLATION
.
IN THE 12TH
CHAPTER of Acts we are told about Herod having the apostle James
killed with the sword (the first apostle to be put to death). Seeing that
it pleased the Jews, he apprehended the apostle Peter also. We are told
that "then were the days of unleavened bread" (verse 3), and that Herod
was "intending after Easter to bring him [Peter] forth to
the people [the Jews]" (verse 4).
.
The Greek word behind this word translated
"Easter" is pascha. The King James translation stands alone
in rendering it as "Easter." All other translations represent this word
with "Passover," and the context here in Acts 12 easily shows that it has
reference to "the days of unleavened bread" (the Passover). Passover is
what pascha means, but the King James scholars translated
the word as "Easter." Were they wrong in doing this? The answer is yes,
and the answer is no. What is the story behind this?
.
The early church did not observe Easter. The
Lord came forth from the grave on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1-3;
Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-9; John 20:1), and instead of continuing to keep
the Sabbath (Colossians 2:14-16; Galatians 4:9-11), the early church met
on the first day of the week (evidently tied in with memory of the resurrection
of Christ). (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). But as time went by and changes
began to take place, an annual celebration of the resurrection came into
being in addition to meeting on the first day of the week (which we still
do). The name "Easter" (originally a pagan festival in honor of the goddess
of spring) was not used at first to refer to this day. In the Greek speaking
world the name that was applied to this day was pascha, the
word for Passover, but having reference now to the day set aside to celebrate
the resurrection of Christ. We can easily see how pascha
could be switched over to this day by non-Jewish people, as the time frame
is the same when it originally took place. And still today in modern Greece
their word for "Easter" is pascha, which really is "Passover."
.
As a matter of further interest, the Greek
word in use today for Friday is paraskeue. In Mark 15:42
we read about "the preparation, that is, the day before the
sabbath." Friday was the day of preparation, as the Jews were involved
in getting ready for the Sabbath. Paraskeue is the word translated
"preparation." This word was also carried over into the Greek speaking
world, and it is their word for Friday.
.
So, were the King James scholars wrong in translating
pascha
as "Easter"? It seems they imposed a later meaning of the word pascha
that was used in the Greek world. But for the Bible times in which the
book of Acts was written, "Passover" best represents what is meant here.
.
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