Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. 16And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Ezekiel 8:15-16
As those that have trusted in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we have a responsibility, a duty, to study God’s word and know what is right and hold to it regardless of the consequences. Mixing pagan rites into Christian observances has been a significant shortcoming of many.
Where Easter is concerned we have confused a pagan ritual with the Feast of First Fruits. Each spring, the Babylonians saw the genuine first fruits and assumed it would be a fine time to ask their goddess, Ishtar (Easter), for new babies. They worshipped the things in nature which represented fertility, such as the rabbit and the egg. The people wore new costumes, in keeping with the new buds on the trees and shrubbery. Today, we continue the Babylonian rite with our Easter Bunny and our painted eggs and our new outfits for the Easter Parade.
Facing East and worshipping toward the Sun is described as being an abomination in our lead verse, Ezekiel 8:15-16.
“thou shalt see greater abominations than these. … five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east”
Every Easter “Christians” re-enact this very abomination along with the pagan use of bunnies and eggs.
The important thing to realize is that Easter has nothing to do with Christ Jesus’ resurrection. The Lord rose on the Feast of Firstfruits which was the 1st first day of the week, the Sunday, after Passover. It always comes within the days of unleavened bread.
The Feast of First Fruits – Promises to Israel
Exodus 34:25-26 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. 26The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.
Leviticus 23:10-11 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Christ Jesus’ resurrection was on the Feast of Firstfruits. This would be the 1st, first day of the week following Passover; the Sunday following passover. As Passover could fall on any day of the week, the Feast of Firstfruits could be anywhere from one to six days after. Obviously, it was three days after that year.
1 Corinthians 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
There is some disagreement on the proper day to observe this feast. One side considers the Passover as the Sabbath spoken of in Leviticus 23:10-11, “on the morrow after the sabbath” meaning that this feast was to be observed the day after Passover. The flip side is the more biblical approach which has been show correct by the Lord’s resurrection as the 1st first day of the week, or 1st Sunday, after the Passover that would be after the regular weekly Sabbath.
Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Luke 24:1 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.
Passover could be any day or date of the week but the Feast of Firstfruits could only have been the day after the first regular Sabbath following the Passover, the Sunday following the first Saturday. In the year of our Lord’s atonement it was three days after.
The pagan holiday of Easter, bunnies, and eggs, has nothing to do with Our Lord’s resurrection or otherwise. Remember, we all have to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and give an accounting of our lives.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
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