A significant part of my journey over the past 2 years has been to un-pack some of the traditions that have been taught to us by the church, passed down through family, and that have just become the normal social behavior because of society's general acceptance of them.
It all started for me with the idea of the "rapture"--a concept which I wholeheartedly believed in. About 2 years ago when a friend indicated to me that she didn't really buy the concept of the rapture, I was very surprised. I thought all "Christians" believed in the rapture! As it turned out that was a misguided assumption on my part. But I think the reason why I believed it was because I heard it discussed a lot in christian circles. We were all encouraged to get our Fire-Insurance (say the sinners prayer) before the rapture or we would be left behind to endure the tribulation. And of course, the "Left Behind" books and movies by Timothy LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins which were so popular could be found in any evangelical christian church library. They were a hot commodity.
I spent the next several months pouring through my scripture, desperately trying to find evidence for the rapture, and just couldn't find any. I was not looking for evidence to prove the teachings of the church wrong, I was trying to prove them right...but the scriptures just didn't support the theory.
But that's not the topic we are here to discuss. Today I want to talk about EASTER.
The traditions of Easter pre-date the early church. Have you ever wondered what bunnies, colorful eggs, ham dinners and even the word "Easter" have to do with the death and Resurrection of our Messiah?
In ancient times Cush, the grandson of Noah, married a woman named Semaramis and they had a son named Nimrod (Gen 10:8-10). When Cush died, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful king whose kingdom included Babel. Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, his body cut into pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom. According to the legend, Semaramis had all of the body parts gathered except for one that could not be found (the phallus). Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Ba'al", the sun god.
She later claimed that she conceived immaculately by the rays of the sun (the spirit of her dead husband) and the son she brought forth was named Tammuz.
Tammuz was worshipped as the only begotten son of Nimrod (Ba'al) who was immaculately conceived, and Semiramis became known as the Mother-of God and the Queen of Heaven. She went by different names in different cultures and languages (Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Astarte, and Eoster), though the legend stayed the same. Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess.
She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28 day cycle and ovulated when full.
She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River.
This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Semiramis, known as "Ishtar" -- her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg."
Because Nimrod's phallus was missing, part of the worship of this mystery religion included fertility rituals involving rabbits and eggs (both fertility symbols in nearly every pagan religion....remember the term "breeding like rabbits"?)
The day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig and Queen Ishtar proclaimed a 40 day mourning period where her followers were to fast from eating meat, and was followed by a meal of roasted pig in Tammuz's honor.When the early Catholic church was out to make converts, enticing people to leave their ancient practices of polytheism was likely very difficult. In an attempt to keep the peace but increase their numbers, they compromised and continued to allow the pagan rituals, but essentially scotch-taped a baby-jesus onto the practice and called it good. What resulted was a complex form of mixed worship which the Father hates. They were committing spiritual adultery, and sin is contagious because a little leaven leavens the whole lump!
"Yea, they forsook YHVH and served Ba'al and the Ashtoreths" --Judges 2:13
"And God spoke these words saying: "I am YHVH your God, who has brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall not have any other gods besides me. You shall not make a graven image for yourself, of any likeness which is in the heavens above, or which in in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am YHVH your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on children, on the third and on the fourth generation, to those that hate me; and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving me, and to those keeping my commandments." --Exodus 20:1-6
"And be watchful in all that I have said to you. And you shall not mention another god by name, it shall not be heard from your mouth."--Exodus 23:13
It is amazing to me that it took me so many years to catch on to what was truly going on here. I don't recall ever being taught the truth....that the Messiah was crucified on Passover, resurrected on Firstfruits and ascended at Shavout (known today as Pentecost). But please don't take my word for it. Read up on the commanded Feasts of Leviticus 23 and compare them to the accounts of the death, resurrection and ascension of our Messiah Yahshuah in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Ask your pastor if your church can do away with the pagan rituals and follow only the commanded festivals, which are perfect because they were created by the Father and not by man....and see what happens.
As if the Father would want us to worship in the name of a pagan goddess, with graven images and eat the flesh of a detestable animal!?
I guess it all boils down to, do you have a love for the truth or don't you? Are you wiling to compromise on the Word Of YHVH in order to "keep the peace" or "maintain unity"?
"And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Yahshuah the Messiah in the flesh. Such a one is a deceiver and the anti-messiah. Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Yahshuah, does not have the Father. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works."
--2 john 6-11
As an act of obedience, you will not find me participating in any goddess/fertility-worship this spring. I believe my life depends on it!
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