“What are you Celebrating”
Resurrection Sunday
vs.
Easter
By
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Mark 16:1-6 “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first [day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Now that would be good enough if I was going to preach a traditional Easter Sunday message; however, I am not going to preach the traditional message but I want to share with you something on today that will change the way you look at and understand this day we call Easter.
The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”.
Today we celebrate what is traditionally called Easter Sunday. We understand it as the day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Sometimes you will even hear the term Resurrection Sunday used, which is the term we use here at Apostolic Glorious Church. The reason we call it Resurrection Sunday and not Easter is because we have come to understand that there is a difference in the terms and the celebration of each is different as well. Today I want you to take a look at yourself and ask the question “What am I celebrating”?
Understand that to get caught up in doing something just because that is the way we have always done it or because everyone else is doing it so I might as well also is detrimental and can cause you to end up in place you have no business being or even in hell itself.
Sadly many people are misguided, uninformed, totally confused, and utterly lost trying to figure out what must I do. They look at the drugs, alcohol, illicit sexual activity, the homosexual lifestyle, or internet porn trying to find the answer unable to find the answer there because there is no answer in those things only problems.
So they turn to the church looking for answers and help only to find confusion and misguided interpretations of scripture, because people are being deceived and destroyed because of the lack of knowledge. They sadly wonder through life going through the motions never truly being delivered and ultimately being spiritually destroyed because they were not able to find the answers they were looking for. Many people celebrate today and go to church wearing the very best outfits, but are utterly lost because they have no idea Who or What or Why they are celebrating today.
Today I want to enlighten you on the 2 different celebrations which will give you knowledge and keep you from being destroyed.
• Many people celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on this day.
• Sadly for some it is the only time or the 1st of 2 times they attend church all year, the 2nd time they attend church is Christmas.
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE: The word Easter is found only once in the Bible in Acts 12:4 and it literally is a misguided interpretation of the word “Passover”
• The Greek word is “Pascha” (pas-khah) it is used in the New Testament 28 times, 27 of those times it is translated Passover. 1 time as Easter.
• There is no way you can translate “Pascha” as Easter unless it is done deliberately in an attempt to distort and discredit the Word of God. The translation of Pascha to Easter is a deception of Satan. Understand ever since the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:14-15 Satan has been trying to distort and discredit the Word of God.
• Galatians 6:7 says “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.
• Easter is a pagan term derived from the goddess Eastre, the same as Astarte, the Syrian Venus called Ashtoreth in the Old Testament 1st Kings 11:5, 33, 2nd Kings 23:13. Ashtoreth was known as the goddess of love and increase. She was worshipped as a fertility goddess.
• She was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, which is the day that there are equal hours of day as there is night, hence equinox. Or in layman terms the beginning of Spring.
• The rabbit is vital in this celebration because of its fertility – hence the term multiply like rabbits.
• The egg is a symbol of life the more beautiful the eggs where it was believed the more pleased Ashtoreth would be and the more favorable she would be to give increase to the people.
God gave the TEN COMMANDMENTS in Exodus 20. The 1st commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”. In Matthew 22:36-40 the question was asked of Jesus which is the greatest commandment, Jesus said “Thou shalt love the Lord the God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment”.
Now that we understand the background of Easter there should be some questions in your minds right now.
1. How did we start celebrating the resurrection on a yearly basis.
2. How did the names and traditions get associated with the Holiest of Christian celebrations the Gospel itself
3. What should we do as Christians today.
The practice began early, in the form of what is called the Passover. The Passover was already an important feast to the Jews and was commanded by God in Exodus 12 and is called The Lord’s Passover, it commemorates the deliverance of the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. The Children of Israel were instructed by God to take a lamb, slay it, and take the blood of the lamb put it on the door post and on the lentil of the door and when the death angel came by that night he would see the blood of the lamb and Passover that house, but if the blood wasn’t there then death of the first born would happen. God gave very specific instructions as to what was supposed to be done and that all of the lamb had to be eaten. This Passover celebration is still performed today among the Orthodox Jews. However, they have failed to miss the greater significance of the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It was during this feast of Passover that Jesus instituted the "Lord’s Supper" 1st Corinthians 11:23-34, which commemorates our deliverance out of the bondage in sin, we call this communion and is what we will be doing before the end of this service today.
Many Jews continued to keep their Jewish customs and religious festivals after their conversion to Christ and this brought much concern Acts 18:18-21; 21:17-26.
HOW DID THE YEARLY CELEBRATION START: - After the death of Jesus and the institution of the church the Passover was now observed in memory of Christ’s death and the deliverance from the bondage of sin and the penalty of death. Jesus Himself was offered as our Passover lamb for our sins what is called today communion and the scripture says “this do in remembrance of me”1st Co 11:24, 1Co 5:7-8. Thus began a YEARLY observance even though Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper as the proper memorial to commemorate His death Lk 22:14-20; 1Co 11:23-26. However, this celebration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not just to be remembered once a year, but we are told as often I we do this we do show forth the Lord’s death until He comes.
This yearly celebration soon included other observances as well
a. Palm Sunday, the day Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem prior to His death
b. Good Friday, the day He was crucified
c. Resurrection Sunday, the day He arose
This has become known as Holy Week.
There has been much controversy over celebrating these days.
In the early 2 & 3 century much dispute over the proper date was a problem. Some churches followed Jewish chronology and celebrated the Passover on the 14th of Nisan, which would be either March or April according to our calendar. That is why sometimes it is celebrated in March and other times in April. Churches threatened to "excommunicate" one another and failed to further fellowship because of the conflict of these dates.
So the YEARLY observance of the resurrection originated from human tradition, not the Bible itself.
HOW DID THE NAMES AND TRADITIONS GET ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOLIEST OF CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS?
ASSIMILATION:- a change in a sound or action so it becomes identical with or similar to something or someone else The assimilation of pagan rituals into Christian observances was a common practice. When people took the gospel into a pagan area many would not discourage the local residents to discard their pagan rituals. Instead they would attempt to give the customs a Christian flavor. Don’t you know that if you take a glass of 99% water and add 1% poison to it that it is 100% poison and will kill you. 2nd Cor. 6:17 says “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you”.
In the pagan ritual of Easter they would take the egg as a symbol of life, dye them red to represent the blood, shed by Christ.
The effect of such assimilation eventually neutralized the pagan rituals making them seem harmless. Who would have ever thought of Easter as the name of a pagan goddess, Bunny Rabbits, and colored eggs are all part of a Demonic plan that originated in the Garden of Eden?
It is because of this deception that many people are left with erroneous conceptions and misinterpretations of this day called Easter and the true meaning of Resurrection Sunday.
For example having people believe that Christians have always observed a yearly celebration regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus or in the case of Christmas, leading people to believe that Jesus was actually born on December 25th, not knowing that the date of December 25th originally a Roman feast day is a deception that the adversary uses to distort the Word of God. Because people don’t have an understanding of the deceptions in place they are being destroyed spiritually.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO AS CHRISTIANS TODAY?
Galatians 4:8-11 says “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Brethren, I beseech you, be as I [am]; for I [am] as ye [are]: ye have not injured me at all. Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first”.
Paul expressed his concern for the churches in Galatia. He does not say that their practice was wrong per se, only that he is concerned. From the context, his concern pertained to why they were doing these things.
Understand Paul was not averse to observing certain feast days himself. He did not hesitate to keep Jewish customs when expedient. He had Timothy circumcised Acts 16:1-3, he took a vow Acts 18:18, He sought to keep a Jewish feast in Jerusalem - Acts 18:19-21, He participated in purification ceremonies Acts 21:17-26. So see there is nothing wrong in celebrating certain holidays but we must know who, what, and why we are celebrating.
Sometimes we try to take a child and say you can’t do this and you can’t do that and haven’t explained to them why. Sometimes many people think well if I just go to church on Easter and Christmas that will suffice because God knows my heart. But I want to ask the question today what you are celebrating.
Are you celebrating a demonic plan that was set forth to distort the Word of God?
Are you celebrating a false goddess in turn going against the very first of the commandments of God?
Are you here today because tradition as dictated that this is what you are supposed to do on today?
Are you here simply because I promised someone that I would come to church on Easter Sunday?
OR
Are you celebrating the fact that nearly 2000 years ago Jesus Christ on a Thursday night after having praying under so much pressure that His sweat literally became drops of blood oozing out of His body. Which doctors call hemohydrosis. It causes the body to become severely painful to the touch. Most doctors say imagine the worse sunburn you ever had and multiply it by 1000x then you are now beginning to feel the pain Jesus felt while in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was then arrested dragged and beaten all night long.
Isaiah 50:6 says “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting”. His beard was pulled out by handfuls of hair. He was punched repeatedly in the face. Spat upon and mocked yet He never said a mumbling word.
Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him Mat 26:67.
Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, "Prophesy!" And the guards took him and beat him. Mark 14:65.
WHAT ARE YOU CELEBRATING.
They beat him with a Flagellum, it was a whip about 3 feet long, at the end of the straps were metal pieces about half way up were sheep bones. Every time they came down across his back these bones and pieces of metal would dig into his flesh ripping flesh from his body.
They made a crown of thorns the thorns are said to have been 3” long and smashed it on His head. These 3” thorns began to puncture His head and brow, blood began to run down his swollen, disfigured, and unrecognizable beaten face.
Then they made him carry the cross beam of the cross which weighed about 80 lbs. After having been beaten all night long, blood lost was tremendous, His own mother didn’t even recognize him. He carried this cross up Golgotha’s hill, thank God for Simon of Cyrene that was able to bear the load for a little while.
On top of Calvary’s Hill they laid Him down. They drove spikes that were 6 – 8 inches long into his hands and feet. There is a never that runs the entire length of the arm into the hand and then separates into the fingers it gives us the ability to move our fingers. When they drove this spike into his it cut that never, His hands began to draw up like claws. There is this same kind of never that runs the entire length of the leg, when they drove the nails into his feet it cut that never His feet began to draw up.
After hanging on the cross for 3 hours in excruciating agony He died.
But let me tell you that’s not how the story ends because 3 days later, early on a Sunday morning, “Mary Magdalene, Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him, but when they got there they noticed that the stone had been rolled away and an angel said unto them And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him”.
He rose again.
He did it for me
He did it for you.
I’m not celebrating some false demonic goddess. I don’t care about colored eggs and chocolate bunnies, or marshmallow peeps, but I am celebrating Jesus Christ.
The one and only true and living God.
The one that knew not sin but became sin so that I might have the right to eternal life.
I’m celebrating the
Wonder of Wonders Wheel in the middle of a Wheel Prince of Princes
Alpha and Omega Beginning and the End the First and the Last
Lord of Lords Joy of Joys Hope of Hopes King of Kings
I Am that I AM
What are you celebrating.
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
