False Lent and Pagan Festivals Cont.
By The Late Apostle Bishop S.C. Johnson
EASTER
The Bible nowhere states that the day Christ arose was Easter. Have you ever
considered that Easter comes at a different time each year? Then how could
He be crucified on one date one year and on another date another year? That
does not make good sense!
Herod planned to bring Peter before the council after Easter, but It does
not say that Jesus arose this day. Herod and the Jews were not interested
in the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. The very reason the people
wanted to kill Peter and the Apostles was that they were preaching the power
of the resurrection. It was through the crucifixion and the resurrection
of Jesus that the power of hell and sin was broken:
Jesus died a natural body but rose a spiritual body and told the Apostles,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15.
The name Easter is traced back to the old German word, Eastre, (plural) Eastron,
from the name of the old Teutonic "goddess of spring," who was called Easter,
NOTE THIS CAREFULLY: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon
that falls on or next after vernal equinox (March 21 in the Gregorian calendar);
if the full moon happens on Sunday, Easter is celebrated one week later.
We do not find the actual festival or Easter associated with the resurrection
of Christ until the year 300 A.D. It was then looked upon as a joyous festival
and sermons were preached on it.
So then, Easter was simply a spring festival to the goddess Easter, which
came around the time of the Jewish Passover and was later incorporated in
the backslidden church.
Dear Reader, be not deceived and carried away by the customs of this world,
for the people's cus- toms are vain. The Pope, himself, cannot prove Lent
and all it stands for to be sanctioned by the scriptures, nor can anyone
else.
Jesus wants us to be baptized in His name and to receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost speaking in other tongues according to Acts 2:38. He wants us
to be holy and serve Him, not only on certain days and seasons of the year,
but to live holy every day of our lives. Read Luke 1:73-75.
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