AN UPDATE ON THE HISTORY OF EASTER
Easter arrives earlier this year. I believe that 2024 is a prophetic year, and that this Easter is meant to prepare us for heavenly events that are coming soon. Notice this statement that Jesus makes concerning His ministry in Luke 13:31-33,
“Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.” And He said to them,
“Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”
Jesus was talking about the Passover, what would happen to Him, and what He was preparing to do, by offering Himself as a ransom for the Jews and the Gentiles. Passover always signaled the beginning of a new year in Israel. The calculation for determining the months on the Hebrew calendar is based on the revolution of the moon (a lunar calendar), and not on the revolution of the sun (a solar calendar).
When the priests in Israel, saw the first sliver of the spring moon in the night sky, they determined that to be the 1st day of Nissan, the first month on the Jewish religious calendar. Judaism teaches that Nissan is the month of the year when the Creation of the world occurred. So, Passover and the month of Nissan indicated a new beginning, a new year, with new hope and expectations.
Our Christian Easter is also based on the lunar calendar, the first Sunday after the full moon, which is why, like Passover, it moves around on our calendars every year. This Easter, I believe, is prophetic, signaling something brand new, with new expectations. In the text above, the Pharisees attempted to scare Jesus to leave the country, but Jesus knew His mission and the timing of His departure. He then prophesies,
“today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.”,
indicating that He must rise from the grave on the third day. Jesus prophetically fulfilled the Jewish festival of Passover, by becoming the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God.
We celebrate both Easter and Sunday as the Lord’s Day, based on this event found in Matthew 28:1-6,
“Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.’”
Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday, the first day of the week, because it is “The Lord’s Day”. Sunday was first called the Lord’s Day, by the early church fathers, the day of the week that Jesus was resurrected. Only recently has our modern church lost that phrase in our daily references, but Sunday is still the Lord’s Day.
Our English word “Easter”, has a genuinely religious history as well, as explained in “Eusebius” pp 437;
“Our English word Passover, happily, in sound and sense, almost corresponds to the Hebrew pesach, of which it is a translation. The Greek pascha, formed from the Hebrew, is the name of the Jewish festival, applied invariably in the primitive church to the festival of the Lord’s resurrection… Our word Easter is of Saxon origin, and of precisely the same import with its German cognate Ostern. The latter is derived from the old Teutonic form of auferstehn…i.e., resurrection. The name Easter, as expressive of meaning, is undoubtedly preferable to pascha or Passover, but the latter was the primitive name.”
As many of you know, I study all the time to bring you the truth. My private library is extensive, and I research Christian theology in-depth, before I preach or teach on any subject. Just before Easter every year, there are many teachers, misrepresenting Easter as pagan; and its name they declare, is from a pagan goddess. That is nonsense! They also claim that emperor Constantine named it and set its yearly date. Also, not true.
Irenaeus (130-200 A.D.), bishop of Lyons France, wrote in his book “Against Heresies”, that the church should be united in its beliefs and practices, whether they are in Germany, Spain, or Egypt. (book I, chap X). The church tried to unify itself, and by 325 A.D., it was still divided after 200 years. Emperor Constantine, himself a believer in Christ, decided to tell the bishops to unify themselves, because of the religious divisions their arguments were making within his government. He simply called them together and said “create an agreement among yourselves”. Constantine never led the discussions nor directed any doctrine; he was only occasionally observed sitting quietly in the back of the hall. He did not create or institute any religious systems, as many teachers have mistakenly expressed.
Our early church fathers were witnesses to the original disciples of our Lord, or were directly taught by those who personally knew and lived with one of them. The early church father Justin Martin (110-165 A.D.) wrote a letter to Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 161 A.D., explaining the typical Christian service.
“On the day called Sunday, there is a gathering together in the same place…the memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read…a discourse admonishes and urges the imitation of these good things…we all rise together and send up prayers…bread is presented and wine and water…the people sing out their assent, saying the ‘Amen’”. (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, book 5.23,24,25)
Since Sunday was established as the day of typical worship, Easter then, would also fall on Sunday once a year. The Easter season was originally called the Paschal season, and our English word Easter is derived from Paschal. In foreign countries, most Christians in their own languages still use a form of the word that sounds similar to Paschal. Eusebius (260 – 339 A.D.), author of “Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History”, gives his view of Irenaeus, who lived 150 years before him.
“He maintained the duty of celebrating the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord only on the day of the Lord…” And, “Being in this way a peacemaker, exhorted…such matters as these for the peace of the churches.” (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, book 5.24)
The general leadership throughout all the early churches established that this yearly Paschal celebration should be on the same day worldwide. They said, “So that we celebrate the holy season with one mind and at one time.”
Join us and Celebrate Easter with us this coming Sunday!
Shalom
Pastor David Gonzalez
P.S., Please join us with your presence on this most High and Holy Day, this March 31st. I hope to see you there! Click here for directions.
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