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EASTER eggs and bunnies are part of the goodies that are popular among children as we get into this holiday. Sugary as these are, there is nothing sweet about the origins of Easter itself.
For starters, history shows that Easter has pagan origins.
Some traditional and Christian pentecostal denominations acknowledge that Easter is a misplaced holiday to remember the death and resurrection of Christ.
The founder of Upper Room International Ministries, Apostle Dr Eugene Makore said the church had been blinded by the invasion of Greek god worshippers as they observe a pagan holiday whose origins are related to the death and resurrection of the pagan god Inana.
“Easter was there way before Christ. You will see that Easter and Christmas were never celebrated during the days of the early Apostles. It started with the insurgence of Nicholas in Acts 6:5. His description in the introduction ruffles some feathers of anxiety.
“Nicholas a proselyte, of Antioch. What is a proselyte? Non-believer of Jehovah! What is Antioch? The City of Greek gods! Why is this mentioned? To demand our attention to text and Scripture! Who chose Nicholas into leadership of the deacon office? The people.
“This is where the church started to lose structure because of the appointment of non-Jehovah fearing people into church leadership,” Apostle Makore said.
“Nicholas brought with him his Greek worship activities into church. They were and are exciting to such an extent that the church was compromised. In Revelations 2:4 and 2:9 we see Jehovah confirming His hatred for the works of Nicholas and all his followers.”
Apostle Makore said Christians celebrating Easter had been blinded by the devil instead of reading the Bible, choosing to assume and create a teachings that were sweet to their ears.
“We don’t see any mention of Easter celebrations in the Bible except in Acts 12:4. Let’s closely look at the event. Peter is about to be killed, after the killing of Barnabas had pleased the people. Herod postpones the killing of Peter because it was too late and the act might fall into the Easter period. So we see Peter being spared and hoping to have him killed after Easter.
“Who is rushing for Easter? Herod and his crew. Who is Herod? As we all know, an anti-Christ. Who pays attention to Easter? The anti-Christ. We don’t celebrate Easter but Passover.
“Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 5:7. Passover is not an Old Testament-only event as many say, but Christ is our New Testament Passover lamb. The fact that many churches celebrate Easter is a mockery to our God, Jehovah.
“Compromise is the very word that befits this act. The true Church of Christ observes Passover, not Easter,” Apostle Makore emphasised.
Another source says “Easter” was derived from Eostre, the name of the Anglo-Saxon lunar goddess, as was the name for the female hormone oestrogen.
Eostre’s feast day was held on the first full moon following the vernal equinox. And today a similar calculation is still used to derive the dates for Easter.
On this date the goddess Eostre is believed by her followers to mate with the solar god, conceiving a child who would be born nine months later on Yule – the winter solstice which falls on December 21st.
Two of Eostre’s most important symbols were the hare (because of its fertility and because people “see” a hare in the full moon) and the egg, which symbolised new life.
It is because of these origins that some people dismiss Easter.
Apostle Makore has other issues with Easter.
“Secondly, why bunnies? A rabbit is the fastest love-making animal there ever is. Their goddess of live war and sex.
“To be precise, this act was infiltrated by the Catholics who are the religious commandos.
“The death, burial and resurrection of Christ is our Passover observance, Him being crucified, dying and resurrecting for our redemption of sin.
“The new unleavened bread act is our observed celebration moment. It’s a shame to the church that’s blindly led into these acts of wickedness.
“Never shall we celebrate Easter as the Church of God – but Passover,” said Apostle Makore.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is also of the same position.
SDA Zimbabwe Union Conference secretary for education Pastor Felix Njini said the Bible was very clear about preparation day (Luke 23:54) and the resurrection – but was silent on Easter.
“It should be understood that as a church we value the depth of the crucifixion, its historic and cardinal meaning.
“And also that it is the centre of salvation as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
“Hence we cherish the event not days. Only when God directs us to observe the dates do we do so, like on the issue of Sabbath,” said Pr Njini.
“The whole book of the Acts of the Apostles is silent on the issue (of Easter).
“The Bible is clear about the holiness of the Sabbath, but other than stating the fact that Jesus rose on the first day of the week, it has nothing to say about any holiness attached to resurrection Sunday,” he added.
Despite the clear biblical and historical record, many churches still insist on celebrating Easter.
United Methodist Church Harare West District (Cluster B) which will hold a revival conference during Easter.
“The major focus of our Easter revival is to try and revive our spirits, focusing on the fact that our salvation came through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
“The importance of His death and His resurrection means a lot to us as a Christian community,” said Reverend Stephan Kumuterera said.
Tabernacle of Worship Family Ministries International leader Bishop Rogers Jeffrey weighed in: “It is the source of the power which people must experience in their day to day life; the same resurrection power that brought Jesus from death to life is available even this day and if people tap into it, they will see amazing transformation in their lives.”
What do you think about Easter? Should it be observed as a “Christian” holiday, or even as a national public holiday?
Send your feedback to our Religious Affairs editor at [email protected].
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