“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:8-9).
And so, we come to Easter. That pagan holiday that celebrates carnal lusts in honor of a pagan goddess who was very sexually perverse. For convenience, Christians took this pagan day of debauchery and say we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, whose own blood was shed to take away sin, including sexual perversion. Why do we reject God’s ways?
It seems as if, from the time of Adam and Eve, people have chosen to compromise God’s word. God was very specific when He gave Moses the directions on how to be protected from death.
“Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house” (Exodus 12:3).
The month spoken of was Nissan. The chosen lamb was to be unblemished. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5).
The word “unblemished” is from the Hebrew “tamim.” Noah was tamim. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).
Noah wasn’t a perfect man, but he didn’t mingle with the pagans around him, and his blood wasn’t tainted by the genetic tampering of the fallen angels and human women. He respected God. Too many Christians today prefer the ways of the world rather than honoring God. Sadly, that preference shines through when we celebrate the two holidays that say they celebrate Christ: Christmas and Easter. These days are both celebrated on pagan holidays. The two most important events to Christians are wrapped in paganism.
Once the Passover lamb was chosen, it was to be kept for four days. “And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (Exodus 12:6).
It became like a family pet, but then it was to be sacrificed. The children must have been heartbroken. Why was the lamb slaughtered? To protect the Israelites who were living as slaves in Egypt. God had sent many plagues to convince Pharaoh to give Israel freedom, but he refused. This final plague would kill all of the firstborn, unless they were protected by the blood of the lamb.
“And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:7).
There is much detail about how the lamb was to be cooked and eaten. They were to eat it while being ready to leave Egypt and be free from the pagan ways found there. The blood of the lamb would protect them from death.
“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12-13).
God went into great detail to be sure they knew when and how the Passover would happen. Only the blood of the sacrificial lamb would save a person from death. If any of the Israelites decided to follow the pagan ways instead of God’s ways, they would die that night. Likewise, if an Egyptian happened to be in the house of a Hebrew, they would be protected by the blood. Death would come if the blood was rejected.
This blood sacrifice was a picture of Jesus. He was born of a virgin, just as prophecy said He would. People rejected that fact because everybody knows it takes a man and a woman to make a child, and they underestimated God. So, when He was actually born of a virgin, many people of that day didn’t recognize Him. John the Baptist did. In fact, when he was in his mother’s womb, he recognized Jesus. Mary had gone to visit John’s mother Elisabeth. When Mary greeted Elisabeth, John leaped:
“And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost” (Luke 1:41).
John was never confused as to the identity of Jesus. Many years later, John was baptizing people when He saw Jesus coming toward him. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
It wasn’t a bunny dropping eggs that John saw, but Jesus the Christ! The Jewish people had been looking for their Messiah throughout their history, and here He was. He was rejected by the religious leaders because they didn’t want to lose their power. Many people were just blind to their need for salvation. The ones who came to Him were the ones who knew they needed Him. Some came for healing, and some came for forgiveness. Jesus loved them all. Today, we see the same attitudes within the Christian community.
Sin is what separates us from God. We are conditioned to view sin as a big sin or a little sin. God sees all sin as equal, and it all separates us from God. There is no way to atone for our sin except by the shedding of blood. That’s why God included animal sacrifice when He gave Moses the Law.
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4).
There is no way that animal blood can take sin away, and it had to be done regularly. Only human blood can take human sin away. God doesn’t accept human sacrifices, which is a pagan practice. All human blood is tainted by the sin of Adam. God had a solution for the problem of sin. A virgin would give birth to God’s only Son. In that way, He would be human because Mary was just a human like you and me, but because His father was God, there would be no sin-tainted blood.
Jesus was born of a virgin, and God was His Father. Do you believe that? If not, then you need to examine your faith. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He entered His creation for one purpose, and that purpose was to be the final sacrifice for the sin of humans. He went to the cross willingly to be our only way of salvation.
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).
Only faith in His death, burial, and resurrection makes eternal life possible. Don’t mock Him by celebrating a bunny.
God went to great measures to tell us when Jesus was sacrificed. The Jewish Passover was a foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice. It was established in the month of Nissan. He spent three days and three nights in the tomb; but on the third day, which was the Jewish feast of Firstfruits, Jesus arose from the dead, and all who believe are given eternal life with Him.
Christianity and the Jewish faith have much in common, and God hasn’t replaced the Jewish people with Christians. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets but didn’t eliminate them.
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe His blood is the only sacrifice for sin? Do you believe He rose from the grave? If so, then you need to stop glorifying the bunny.
One day, I was shopping and was saddened by the many aisles of Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, Easter baskets, Easter, Easter, Easter. Nothing to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. This year, they have even degraded this time even more by selling “exploding bunny poop.” I don’t even want to know what that is.
I wrote a poem, and I’ve shared it before, but I’ll share it again. As you read it, I hope you think about what you’re celebrating, and ask yourself if it matters. Teach your children what Christ did for them on the cross. It’s not about a bunny, but it’s about Jesus fulfilling the Passover. It’s about Jesus shedding His blood on the cross to take sin away.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Take that seriously.
It’s Not About A Bunny By Nathele Graham
It’s not about a bunny
That hops away so fast.
It is about Christ my Saviour,
Whose love will always last.
It’s not about an egg
With a pretty painted shell
It is about Christ who died
To save us all from Hell.
It’s not about an Easter bonnet
Upon your head that’s worn
It is about Christ the King
Who wore a crown of thorns
Christ’s death was a victory
Over sin, death, and the grave.
Don’t praise a bunny, tell Christ’s story
His life He freely gave.
Celebrate His love for you
In everything you do.
The bunny always hops away
But Christ will dwell in you.
If you choose to celebrate this special day on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox rather than on the 14th day of Nissan, at least call it Resurrection Sunday in honor of what Christ did rather than Easter in honor of a pagan goddess. Remember that all of us were once dead in our sin until we realized we needed to repent and ask Jesus to forgive us.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:13-15).
We owe Jesus so much but praise Him too little. If you choose to celebrate His resurrection and call it Easter, I can’t judge your choice. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
Just be sure to honor Christ.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).
